PSU Student Handbook: Academic Accommodations Grievance Procedure

ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS 504 GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

Students having a complaint about academic accommodations provided by Plymouth State University must attempt to resolve conflicts first by contacting Plymouth Academic Support Services (PASS). If results of this process are unsatisfactory to the student, s/he must contact the Vice President for Student Affairs, who is the College 504 coordinator. An appointment can be arranged by calling 603-535-2241 or by visiting the Vice President’s office, 305 Speare Administration Building.

Subsequent to a discussion with the Vice President, a student may file an official grievance by submitting a description of the problem and specifically requested accommodation in writing to the Vice President. This complaint must be filed within 20 working days of the initial meeting with the Vice President.

The Vice President shall investigate the complaint as may be appropriate and make reasonable efforts to resolve the matter. The investigation shall be informal but thorough, affording all interested persons an opportunity to submit evidence or other relevant information. The Vice President shall provide a written response to the student within 20 working days of receipt of the written complaint.

If the complainant is not satisfied with the decision of the Vice President, a written appeal stating why the decision is incorrect may be made to the President's Office within ten working days of the receipt of the determination statement from the Vice President. The President or his designee shall review the determination of the Vice President and send a written decision to the complainant within 30 days of receipt.

The decision of the President shall be final.

Use of this grievance procedure does not limit an individual's pursuit of other remedies including the right to pursue a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights.

Rights and Responsibilities of Students

Every student with a documented disability has the right to:

Equal access to courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities offered at the University;
Reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services determined on a case-by-case basis;
Appropriate confidentiality of all information regarding a disability and the choice to whom a disability is disclosed except as required or permitted by law;
Information, reasonably available in accessible formats.
Every student with a documented disability has the responsibility to:
Meet qualifications and essential standards as determined by the University for courses, programs, jobs, services, and facilities;
Identify as an individual with a disability to the PASS office in a timely manner when seeking an accommodation;
When seeking accommodations, provide documentation of the disability from an appropriate professional including information about the functional limitations of the disability;
Follow specific procedures for obtaining reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services;
Communicate requests for accommodations to instructors by providing a letter of identification describing the reasonable accommodations recommended by PASS counselors as early in the semester as possible.

Rights and Responsibilities of PSU

Plymouth State University has the right to:

Maintain essential standards for courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities;
Request current documentation by an appropriate professional and supplied by the student that confirms disability status and supports the need for appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services;
Deny a request for accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services if documentation does not support a need for the requested service, or if the documentation is not provided in a timely manner;
Select among equally effective accommodations, academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids and services as judged by the University with consideration for cost and/or availability;
Deny a request for an inappropriate or unreasonable accommodation, adjustment, and/or auxiliary aid or service including any that poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others, imposes a fundamental alteration to a course or program, or poses an undue financial or administrative burden on the University.

Plymouth State University has the responsibility to:

Ensure that the University courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities, when viewed in their entirety, are offered in the most integrated and appropriate settings;
Provide information regarding policies and procedures to students with disabilities in accessible formats upon request;
Evaluate students on the basis of their abilities and not their disabilities;
Provide or arrange reasonable and appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and auxiliary aids and/or services for students with disabilities as defined by the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973;
Maintain appropriate confidentiality of records and communication regarding students with disabilities;
Inform students when requested accommodations are not available or beyond the University's ability to provide.

Related Topics:

ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS 504 GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

The decision of the President shall be final.

Use of this grievance procedure does not limit an individual's pursuit of other remedies including the right to pursue a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights.

Rights and Responsibilities of Students

Every student with a documented disability has the right to:

Equal access to courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities offered at the University;

Reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services determined on a case-by-case basis;

Appropriate confidentiality of all information regarding a disability and the choice to whom a disability is disclosed except as required or permitted by law;

Information, reasonably available in accessible formats.

Every student with a documented disability has the responsibility to:

Meet qualifications and essential standards as determined by the University for courses, programs, jobs, services, and facilities;

Identify as an individual with a disability to the PASS office in a timely manner when seeking an accommodation;

When seeking accommodations, provide documentation of the disability from an appropriate professional including information about the functional limitations of the disability;

Follow specific procedures for obtaining reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services;

Communicate requests for accommodations to instructors by providing a letter of identification describing the reasonable accommodations recommended by PASS counselors as early in the semester as possible.

Rights and Responsibilities of PSU

Plymouth State University has the right to:

Maintain essential standards for courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities;

Request current documentation by an appropriate professional and supplied by the student that confirms disability status and supports the need for appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services;

Deny a request for accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services if documentation does not support a need for the requested service, or if the documentation is not provided in a timely manner;

Select among equally effective accommodations, academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids and services as judged by the University with consideration for cost and/or availability;

Plymouth State University has the responsibility to:

Ensure that the University courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities, when viewed in their entirety, are offered in the most integrated and appropriate settings;

Provide information regarding policies and procedures to students with disabilities in accessible formats upon request;

Evaluate students on the basis of their abilities and not their disabilities;

Provide or arrange reasonable and appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and auxiliary aids and/or services for students with disabilities as defined by the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973;

Maintain appropriate confidentiality of records and communication regarding students with disabilities;

Inform students when requested accommodations are not available or beyond the University's ability to provide.