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Adopted by President’s Cabinet 9/7/16; AE 11/17/22

Students who have a complaint about accommodations provided by East Georgia State College must attempt to resolve conflicts by contacting the EGSC counselor/disability service provider with whom they have applied for services. EGSC has a counselor/disability service provider on-site at Swainsboro located in Strange Clubhouse adjacent to Bobcat Villas at EGSC. The EGSC counselor provides disability services for students at all locations: Swainsboro, Statesboro and Augusta. 

Appeal of an ADA Accommodation Action

A student may appeal the following actions:

    1. the denial of eligibility for temporary or permanent accommodations,
    2. the specific accommodation requested by the student will not be provided, and/or
    3. failure of EGSC to provide the approved accommodation to the student.

If a student believes the denial of the requested or approved accommodation is based on discrimination due to the student’s disability, the student is directed to the college’s Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy

Appeal Consideration

The student may appeal the disability service provider’s decision to the Director of Counseling and Accessibility Services located on the Swainsboro campus, unless the Director made the initial decision.* That appeal must be submitted in writing, must state the grounds for the appeal, and must be submitted within five business days of the decision rendered by the disability service provider. If the appeal is submitted after this five business day deadline, the Director of Counseling and Accessibility Services will notify the student/complainant (in writing) that the student is ineligible to appeal due to not meeting the appeal submission deadline. Upon receipt of an eligible appeal, the director will investigate the complaint and make reasonable efforts to resolve the matter. The investigation shall be informal but thorough, affording all persons an opportunity to submit evidence or relevant information. The Director of Counseling and Accessibility Services will have five business days to review the information and transmit a written decision to the student/complainant.

*If the Director of Counseling and Accessibility Services is the disability service provider who made the original decision for which the student is dissatisfied, the student/complainant must forward their written appeal to the Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student  Affairs (PVPASA) of East Georgia State College within five business days. The appeal must be submitted in writing, must state the grounds for the appeal, and must be submitted within five business days of the decision rendered by the disability service provider. If the appeal is submitted after this five business day deadline, the PVPASA will notify the student/complainant (in writing) of their ineligibility to appeal due to not meeting the appeal submission deadline. The PVPASA will investigate the complaint and make reasonable effort to resolve the matter. The investigation shall be informal but thorough, affording all persons an opportunity to submit evidence or relevant information. The PVPASA will have five business days to review the information and transmit a written decision to the student/complainant.

Final Appeal

If the results of this process are unsatisfactory to the student, he or she may appeal to the President of East Georgia State College within five business days of the decision. The appeal must be submitted in writing, must state the grounds for the appeal, and must be submitted within five business days of the decision rendered by the disability service provider or PVPASA and should be directed to the Director of Counseling and Accessibility Services located on the Swainsboro Campus at 131 College Circle, Swainsboro, Ga. 30401. If the appeal is submitted after this five business day deadline, the Director of Counseling and Accessibility Services will notify the student/complainant (in writing) and President of his or her ineligibility to appeal due to not meeting the appeal submission deadline. The appeal to the President will be an appeal on the record. No additional investigation or interviews will be conducted and no additional information may be submitted for consideration. The President of East Georgia State College will:

    1. have five business days to review the appeal and transmit a written decision to the student.
    2. Or, The President will have five business days to form a committee of two faculty members and one staff employee who will review the appeal and make a written recommendation to the President. Upon receipt of the recommendation from the Committee, the President will have five business days to consider and transmit a written decision to the student/complainant.

The decision of the President of East Georgia State College is the final institutional decision. Should the student be dissatisfied with the decision, he/she may file an application for discretionary review in writing to the Board of Regents (http://www.usg.edu/policymanual). The decision of the President of East Georgia State College is final until a ruling is made by the Board of Regents. Use of this grievance procedure does not limit a student’s pursuit of other remedies, including the right to pursue a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights.