Grievances Process

It is the policy of Chattahoochee Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, to maintain a grievance process available to all staff and students that provides an open and meaningful forum for grievances and the resolution of grievances and is subject to clear guidelines. This procedure does not address grievances related to unlawful harassment, discrimination, and/or retaliation for reporting harassment/discrimination against students. The Title IX Coordinator handles those complaints.

All parties have the right to submit and discuss grievances without fear of preconceptions or prejudice due to prior experiences on the administration’s part. All grievances will be treated unbiasedly until facts prove it should be handled in a different manner.
Repeated filings of the same complaint, filings of a frivolous nature, or capricious complaints made against school personnel and policies will be considered an abuse of the student complaint process and will be dismissed. The grievance process is not designed to replace open communication and understanding, which are vital to the academic process.

Please note: All meetings will be recorded for the accuracy of the information, which will remain confidential. This is permitted under the Georgia Recording Law.

Complaints Procedure

1. Informal Procedure: In order to properly investigate, a student has up to 6 months from the date of the incident being grieved to resolve the complaint informally by meeting with the College faculty or staff member directly involved in the incident. It is incumbent upon the student to document the date, time, and place of the meeting as well as the concern. If the grievance is not informally resolved after attempting, then the student may proceed to the formal grievance process any time before the six (6) month period ends.
2. Formal Procedure: To submit a grievance/concern at the local College level, please access the Concerns and Complaints page via the Chattahoochee Technical College website. The student has up to six (6) months from the date of the incident and/or informal meeting to submit a formal grievance/concern.
3. Processing by Conduct Officer: The Student Conduct Officer or his/her Designee will have fifteen (15) Business Days to investigate and respond to the student. In complex cases, the Student Conduct Officer may notify the student that an additional fifteen (15) Business Days will be needed to respond. The response will be sent via email to the student college email address or to the private email address provided on the form if the grievant is not a student.
4. Appeal of Conduct Officer Decision: If a student is unsatisfied with the response from the Student Conduct Officer, the student may appeal his/her decision to the Vice President of Student Affairs for the College within five (5) Business Days of receipt of the Student Conduct Officer response. The student must provide all relevant documents with his/her appeal, as the appeal will be decided based entirely upon the documentation provided with the appeal. The Vice President of Student Affairs and his/her appeals committee will decide within ten (10) Business Days of receipt of the appeal. The Vice President of Student Affairs decision is final.

Complaint Procedure for Faculty / Staff

1. The Student Conduct Officer or his/her Designee will notify the faculty/staff member that a grievance has been filed against the faculty/staff member, which will include information about the grievance. 
2. Within 5 – 7 days of receiving the grievance, the Student Conduct Officer or his/her designee conducts a fact-finding meeting with the faculty/staff member as a part of the investigation.
3. The faculty/staff person may provide additional information in writing within three (3) Business Days to the Student Conduct Officer after their initial meeting. 
4. Once the grievance process has been completed, the Student Conduct Officer or his/her Designee will share the outcome in writing with the faculty/staff member and that person’s supervisor.

Faculty/staff have the right to be accompanied by an advisor of his or her choice, according to Section 1 of the Student Code of Conduct. 

Applicability

The Student Complaint Policy applies to matters that may include: classroom learning environment, course content, access to classes, student advisement, and quality of services to students. The policy also applies to matters concerning services provided by Administrative Offices, including Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid, Advisement, Business Office, and Facilities.

Referred Complaints

The following forms of complaints will be referred to the appropriate administrator:

Academic Grade Appeals                                     Academic Affairs

Classroom Management                                      Academic Affairs

Harassment                                                           Title IX/ Equity Coordinator

Sexual Harassment/ Sexual Violence                  Title IX/ Equity Coordinator

Discrimination                                                       Title IX/ Equity Coordinator

Section 504/ADA                                                  Section 504/ADA Coordinator

ADA Accessibility 508                                          Section 508 /ADA Coordinator