This Grievance Procedure will be used to process a written grievance or complaint concerning any other grievance, not covered by the above Protected Class Non-Discrimination Policy and Procedures and Anti-Bullying Policies that a Future Professional feels have been left unresolved against a Future Professional, employee, or third-party. The grievance or complaint will be referred to the School Director and/or School Owner. The following grievance procedures shall be used to address a grievance filed by Future Professionals for complaints filed on their behalf against employees, other Future Professionals, or third parties. A copy of the Grievance form may be obtained from the School’s Director.
In order to facilitate the investigation, the complaint must include details of the incident or incidents, dates and times, names of the individuals involved, and names of any witnesses. A complaint should be filed within two (2) business days from the date of the alleged incident to allow the school to take timely and appropriate action. The complaint once received will be maintained in the Director’s office, which has limited staff access. The school Director has the responsibility of investigating the complaint allegations; however, if it is in the best interest of the parties involved the school may choose to designate another individual to follow this process.
The time necessary to conduct an investigation will vary based on complexity of the allegation(s) but will generally be completed within fourteen (14) days of receipt of the complaint. If a Grieving Party requests confidentiality, the school will take all reasonable steps to investigate and respond to the Grievance consistent with the request. If a complainant insists that his or her name or other identifiable information not be disclosed to the party alleged to have engaged in the behavior, the school will inform the Grieving Party that its ability to respond may be limited.
The Director will begin the process outlined in this policy below.
Handling of Allegations
The school will investigate all complaints received. The school’s grievance procedures are designed to ensure that the complaint process is free from conflicts of interest.
- The individual completes the Future Professional Grievance Form and returns it to the School Director.
- The Director or designee will determine if the Grievance has merit and is appropriately filed under this policy. If another policy is implicated, the Director or designee may transfer the Grievance to the appropriate resolution process. The Director or designee may also transfer matters filed under other procedures to this Grievance Procedure if appropriate.
- Upon determination that the Grievance has merit and is appropriately filed, the Director or designee will conduct an initial inquiry into the facts surrounding the Grievance. After that initial inquiry, the Grievance may be dismissed for lack of merit, resolved through an Amicable Conclusion, or through an Investigation as outlined below. The Director or designee will consult with the person(s) filing the Grievance and consider their wishes in choosing the mechanism(s) for handling the Grievance. The decision for addressing a Grievance (informal or investigation) is at the discretion of the Director and is not appealable.
- Amicable Conclusion: the Director or designee will work to identify a resolution acceptable to the School, any other involved party, and Grieving Party. If the Grieving Party accepts the resolution, the Director will work to implement the solution. If the Grieving Party does not accept the resolution identified, they may request an Investigation. If the information found in the initial inquiry does not support further investigation, and the reported issue can be addressed through action by the School, the Director may decline to take an investigation. If a matter is resolved via Amicable Resolution, it will not be investigated or reopened, unless there is substantial new behavior or information.
- Investigation: the Director or designee will take the necessary steps to gather relevant information. They will then identify the outcome of the Grievance Investigation briefly in writing, and identify the actions (if any) determined necessary to address the reported behavior for the file. The Grieving Party, Witnesses, and/or any accused parties will be notified of the general outcome of the investigation, but may not be able to have details about the actions taken due to Future Professional (student) privacy laws, employment laws, and/or other relevant laws or policies.
- Future Professionals will not be subject to retaliation for filing a complaint. If a Future Professional feels that they have been retaliated against for reporting a matter covered by this Grievance Procedure, they may submit a written grievance under this policy.
- There is not an appeal of any decision made under this policy, unless a Future Professional is terminated based upon the investigation. In that instance, any appeal allowed under the Code of Conduct would apply.
Students should follow the above process; however, the student may, at any time, file a complaint with the school’s accrediting agency, the state licensing agency or the U.S. Department of Education.
How to file a complaint with ACCS:
Complaints can be filed with ACCS at https://www.accs.edu/about-accs/private-school-licensure/complaints/:
Private School Licensing Division - Alabama Community College System
P.O. Box 302130
Montgomery, AL 36130-2130
(334) 293-4500
The Private School Licensure Division has the authority to investigate student complaints against licensed private postsecondary institutions. Students are required to complete their institution’s grievance/complaint procedure prior to submitting a complaint to the Division.
If the institution’s resolution is not satisfactory, a student may then submit a complaint to the Division. https://www.accs.cc/index.cfm/school-licensure/complaints/
Complaints regarding Federal Student Aid should be addressed to the U.S. Department of Education https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/
The Private School Licensure complaint procedures are designed to address issues of non-compliance with Alabama Private School License rules and regulations. The procedures are not intended to be used in disputes or matters pertaining to a student’s admission to or graduation from an institution or academic issues including grades, academic sanctions, transferability of credits, and/or disciplinary/conduct matters unless the student can provide documentation that the institution did not follow its published policies and procedures.
The Private School Licensure Division will not accept a complaint which is anonymous or in which the student has retained legal counsel or began legal action.
Students must submit a complaint to the Private School Licensure Division within one year of exhausting the grievance policy with the institution unless there are mitigating circumstances which prevent the student from doing so.
PROCEDURES:
- The student must submit the complaint in writing by clicking the following link https://psl.asc.edu/External/Complaints.aspx or using the complaint form in the quick link’s section. The student complaint must contain a detailed description of the claim, including dates, times, and full names of all involved, as well as a time line of the actions taken by both the student and the school to resolve the matter.
- The Division will contact the institution regarding the complaint within 30 days of receipt
- The institution will have 30 days to provide a written response that may or may not contain a resolution.
- A report or letter will be provided to the institution and student detailing corrective action, if any is necessary, or stating that the school has no violation of private school licensure polices or procedures if no violations are determined.
- If corrective action is needed the institution will have 30 days to comply or develop a plan to comply with the corrective action.
- If the institution does not comply with the corrective action the institution’s Private School License may be suspended or revoked.
How to file a complaint with NACCAS:
To file a complaint with the school’s accrediting agency, the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, please follow the directions below:
- Go to https://naccas.org for a copy of NACCAS’ complaint form.
- An individual must complete the form and submit it to:
NACCAS
3015 Colvin Street
Alexandria, VA 22314 - “Student complainants: In accordance with NACCAS’ Standards and Criteria, schools must have a policy and procedure for handling student complaints and inform the students in writing of same. The notice must be included in the school’s catalog, handbook, other published materials, and/or otherwise prominently displayed in the school. NACCAS shall not consider a student complaint until all procedures and remedies within the institution have been exhausted. A student complainant must show that the institution’s complaint procedure has been followed and state why the matter is considered still unresolved when he/she submits a complaint to NACCAS."
“The NACCAS complaint process is intended as a tool for NACCAS to monitor whether accredited schools are complying with NACCAS’ accreditation standards. It is not designed or intended as a means for providing individual relief to the person filing the complaint. As detailed in NACCAS’ Handbook, NACCAS’ Board of Commissioners will not intervene on behalf of individuals in cases of disciplinary action or dismissal, or act as a court of appeals in such matters as admission, graduation, fees, or similar points of issue. If you are seeking relief for personal grievances against the institution identified in your complaint, you are advised to exercise your rights under the institution’s internal grievance policy. If you are not satisfied with the results of that process, you may wish to consult with the state regulatory board or agency that licenses the institution concerning your rights under state law and regulations." - Upon conclusion of the investigation into any allegations, NACCAS will send the individual a letter notifying them of their decision.