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Grievance Policies

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This form is designed to allow a space for general student grievances, complaints, or concerns to be documented and followed up on by the most appropriate staff. A staff member will reach out to you via CWI email or the phone number CWI has on file.

This form is not appropriate for academic grievances, grade appeals or academic appeals. For academic concerns please see the student handbook section 2.0.

Grievance Form

  • Student Disability Services Objectives

    At College of Western Idaho, staff and faculty collaborate to provide resources to support individuals with disabilities. CWI advocates equal academic opportunities to students with disabilities based on the principles of independent living, accessible universal design, and diversity. Our Disabilities  Services Office plays an integral role in fulfilling this commitment by coordinating effective academic access support services and collaborating with students, faculty, staff and community to create diverse and inclusive learning environments which are accessible to all.

  • Grievance Procedure

    The purpose of the grievance procedure is to allow for the resolution of student grievances alleging accommodation violations of anti‐discrimination laws, specifically Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

  • Procedures

    Informal

    A student may choose to resolve the problem of inappropriate or inadequate accommodations in the classroom by speaking directly with the faculty member and requesting appropriate accommodations. A student may request advice, assistance, and/or advocacy from the Director of Student Enrichment or designee. Requests for appropriate accommodations must be made during the semester that the course is being taken. As indicated in the Policies and Procedures for Requesting Disability Services, documentation of a student’s disability must be on file if academic accommodations are being requested. Students may wish to discuss the situation informally with the student affairs personnel for assistance. Discussion with the faculty member, disability specialist, and/or department coordinators may lead to resolution of the matter without further procedures. If not, the student may choose to file a formal written complaint.

    Formal

    To initiate a formal complaint, the student will need to contact Disability Services and Programs. A student may request advice, assistance or advocacy from this office.

    The Director of Student Engagement or designee will send written notification of the complaint filed by the student and the nature of the complaint to the faculty member, indicating the type and purpose of appropriate academic accommodations. Copies of this notification may also be sent to the Department Chairperson, the Executive Vice President for Instruction, the Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services, and the Director of Human Resources. It is further understood that permission is given for the exchange of information as deemed necessary for the provision of the requested accommodations and who have a legitimate educational need to know.

    If an agreement between a faculty member and the student cannot be reached, then the student or faculty member may request that the CWI Disability Services staff review the request and offered accommodations. The DS staff member make a recommendation for accommodations and if this recommendation is not agreeable to both parties a formal appeal may be made to the Assistant Vice President of Enrollment & Student Services. It is understood that the findings and interpretations of the accommodations request will be reviewed by the Assistant Vice President of Enrollment & Student Services and the Executive Vice President for Instruction. Their joint findings shall be the final interpretation.

  • Timeframe For Resolving Disagreements

    In situations where there is disagreement concerning the appropriateness of a particular accommodation, every effort will be made to resolve the disagreement as expeditiously as possible. In general, each phase of the review process should occur within ten working days including informal resolution by the faculty and/or disabled student services professional, formal review by the appropriate disability services professional, Department Chairperson, AVP, and final determination by the Executive Vice President of Instruction. In consultation with DSS, every effort should be made by the academic department to try to enable the student to continue in the course throughout the grievance proceeding.