CCNH Policies

Student Records Policy

Pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, as amended, all students enrolled or previously enrolled at Clayton College of Natural Health, hereinafter referred to as CCNH, have the following rights in relation to their educational records:

I. GENERAL POLICY

No information from records, files, or other data directly related to a student, other than defined below, shall be disclosed to individuals or agencies outside the university without the written consent of the student, except for public information designated as “directory information” and those disclosures set forth in paragraphs following.

II. DEFINITION OF EDUCATIONAL RECORD

Student “educational records” are defined as those records, files, documents, and other material which contain information directly related to students and which are maintained by CCNH or a party acting for CCNH. Records of instructional, supervisory, and administrative personnel which are in the sole possession of the maker and accessible only to the maker or a substitute are specifically excluded from this definition of “educational record.” Records which only contain information relating to a person after that person is no longer a student are not considered part of the student’s “educational record.”

III. DEFINITION OF STUDENT

For the purpose of this policy a student is defined as any individual currently or previously enrolled in any academic offering of CCNH. It does not include prospective students.

IV. PUBLIC INFORMATION

The following is a list of public information, which CCNH has designated as “directory information” pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, as amended, and which may be made available to the public without prior consent of the student. “Directory Information” includes a student’s name, address, telephone number, major fields of study, prospective date of graduation, dates of attendance, the most recent educational agency or institution attended, and degrees and awards received.

If you request NOT to have the above information available for release YOU MUST FORWARD A NOTICE to CCNH. In order to take this information “hold” off your record, you must notify the Records Department in writing.

V. TYPES AND LOCATIONS OF RECORDS

CCNH maintains a file on each student enrolled, which contains applications, grade reports or other pertinent academic records. These records are kept indefinitely. CCNH has designated the following departments as responsible for student records: RECORDS DEPARTMENT.

The above shall hereinafter be referred to as “Records Department.” The Records Department is responsible for maintaining a listing of student records indicating the location and general content of the record. Any student request concerning records or files, including requests that “directory information” not be disclosed, requests for disclosure to third parties, and requests for access by the student should be directed to this Office. Forms or Notices for all such requests may be obtained from this Office. These persons in the Records Department will also act as hearing officer(s) when the content of a record is challenged as provided below.

VI. DISCLOSURE OF STUDENT RECORDS TO THE STUDENT

If a student desires to obtain copies of his/her educational records, files and data primarily and directly related to the student, a written request to the Records Department for copies must be signed and notarized to prevent disclosure to a person other than the student. Copies will be mailed within forty-five days of the date the request is received. Copies shall be made and provided to the student at a cost to the student equal to actual cost of reproduction and payable in advance.

The right of inspection does not include financial statements of parents, confidential recommendations placed in the file prior to January 1, 1975, provided that such recommendations were solicited with a written assurance of confidentiality or sent or retained with a documented understanding of confidentiality and used only for the purpose solicited, and other confidential recommendations, access to which has been waived by the student in accordance with paragraph VIII.

VII. CHALLENGING THE CONTENTS OF THE RECORD

CCNH will respond to any reasonable request for an explanation or interpretation of any item in a student’s file. Requests for such explanation or interpretation should be addressed in writing to the Records Department.

If, after inspecting a record, a student believes that information contained in the educational record is inaccurate or misleading or violates his or her privacy, the student may request that the record be amended by presenting such request in writing to the Records Department. A request that the record be amended shall be answered by the Records Department within fifteen days of its receipt with information that the record has been amended as requested or that the record has not been amended and that the student has a right to a hearing on the matter. A written request for a hearing should be addressed to the Records Department as listed in V, who will set a date and time for hearing with reasonable notice of same to the student within forty-five days of receiving the request.

The request for hearing should identify the item or items in the file to be challenged and state the grounds for the challenge, e.g., inaccuracy, misleading nature, inappropriateness. The Records Department shall examine the contested item, shall hear the person responsible for placing the item in the file if appropriate, and shall examine any documents or hear any testimony the student wishes to present. A student may be assisted or represented by individuals of his or her choice, including an attorney, at his or her own expense. The Records Department may decide that the item should be retained or that it should be deleted or altered. The Records Department shall issue a written decision based solely on the evidence presented at the hearing, within ten days of the conclusion of the hearing. If the decision is adverse to the student, the notice of decision shall include a statement that the student has the right to place a statement in the record commenting on the information and/or setting forth reasons for disagreeing with the decision.

VIII. WAIVER OF ACCESS

CCNH may request that a student waive the student’s right to inspect confidential recommendations respecting that student’s application for admission, provided that the student be notified, upon request, of the names of all those providing the recommendations, the recommendations are used only for the purpose solicited, and the waiver is not a condition of admission or any other benefit. Confidential recommendations respecting application for employment or the receipt of an honor or other recognition may also be waived. A waiver may be revoked with respect to the actions occurring after revocation by so notifying the Records Department in writing.

IX. PROVIDING RECORDS TO THIRD PARTIES

Except for the information specified as “directory information” in IV, it is the general policy of CCNH to refuse access to or disclosure of information from student records to third parties without the written consent of the student. Should a student wish to have such records released, a signed, notarized, and dated written request, which includes the student’s identification number, must be directed to the proper Records Department, specifying the records to be released, the reason for release, the party or class of parties to whom records are to be released and a request for copies to the student, if desired. CCNH will then transfer or grant access to the information. The transferred information shall contain a statement that the information may be used by the receiving party or, if an organization, by its officers, agents, and employees for the purpose requested, but that the party shall not transfer the information to any other party except with the written consent of the student. A charge not to exceed the actual cost of reproduction will be assessed against the student when the copies are made for the party or the student.

Student records are available to the following persons with the accompanying conditions without written consent of the student:

1. Instructional or administrative personnel of CCNH whose duties include responsibilities to students reasonably requiring access to student records.
2. Officials of other schools in which a student seeks to enroll. CCNH will make a reasonable attempt to notify the student of the transfer, as well as the student’s right to a copy, upon request, and the right to a hearing to challenge the contents if desired.
3. Certain representatives of federal departments or agencies or state educational authorities as provided by the law. In absence of consent or specific authorization by federal law of the collection of personally identifiable data, data collected by officials shall be protected in a manner which will not permit personal identification of students and parents by other than those officials, and personally identifiable data shall be destroyed when no longer needed.
4. Financial aid officers or their assistants in connection with the application for or receipt of financial aid, provided that personally identifiable information may only be disclosed for the purpose of determining eligibility, amount, and conditions and to enforce terms and conditions.
5. Organizations conducting studies for administrative evaluation tests, etc., provided that studies are not conducted in a manner which will permit personal identification of students or their parents by other than representatives of the organization and that the information will be destroyed when no longer needed for the purposes collected.
6. Accrediting/credentialing organizations.
7. Other appropriate persons in an emergency to protect health or safety of students or others. In determining appropriateness of disclosure, consideration will be given to the seriousness of the threat to health or safety of the student and others, the need for information to meet the emergency, whether the parties requesting information are in a position to deal with the emergency, and the extent to which time is of the essence.
8. In response to lawful subpoena or court order. CCNH will keep a record, indicating the names and legitimate interest of all disclosures except those made to a student, those made pursuant to written consent, those designated as “directory information” and those made to persons at CCNH with a legitimate educational interest. This record of disclosure will become a part of the educational record, subject to inspection and review.

X. THE STUDENT RECORDS POLICY

The Student Records Policy shall be published in the student handbook. In order to comply with the requirement that CCNH give annual notice of this policy to enrolled students, a short notice of the policy shall be included in the Holistic Times newsletter.

XI. STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES POLICY

Rights:

Students have the right to:

• Be treated in respectful manners in all dealings with CCNH.
• Be informed of program requirements prior to enrollment.
• Receive factual and comprehensive information regarding:
• Student services.
• Financial obligations.
• Technical requirements.
• Expect security and privacy according to the student records policy.
• Be free of discrimination or harassment in all dealings.
• Express grievances and expect a timely response.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

It is the responsibility of each student to:

• Complete enrollment materials honestly and as the sole author of all related documentation.
• Maintain communication and accessibility with CCNH.
• According to the Independent Study Policy, complete all work in the program independently.
• Adhere to the policies, procedures and instructions in the student handbook.
• Meet all financial obligations to CCNH.

Nondiscrimination Policy

Clayton College of Natural Health is in compliance with all requirements imposed by or pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the regulations issued there under, to the end that no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, age, gender, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity sponsored at this institution. Further, as prescribed by Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, this institution does not discriminate on the basis of handicap in admission or employment in its programs and activities.

Grading Policy

CCNH awards academic credit by semester hours. All CCNH courses, unless otherwise noted, receive or are awarded three semester hours after successful completion. Courses and the related assignments are constructed to measure success in meeting the overall program and course objectives. All tests and exams will receive a numerical grade. The final letter grade will be determined by a combination of the submitted assignments, including progress tests, final exam, projects, and writing assignments.

If a student believes that an exam or project answer was misgraded and can support his or her answer with textual evidence, then an e-mail or written contestation must be submitted to his or her program advisor within 30 days of the original grading. The contestation must include information such as course number with course code, page references, which test, and the question number.

Proctoring Information

Students enrolled in courses that require proctoring of specific assignments must select an appropriate proctor and seek approval of the proctor by a CCNH faculty member. A Proctor Approval Form is required for each course that requires a proctor and a Proctor Certification Form is required for each proctored assignment that is completed.

Graduation Policy

In order to graduate, a student must fulfill all academic and financial requirements. If a student has completed all of the academic requirements, but have not yet paid his or her tuition in full, he or she will not be able to graduate.

It is the student’s responsibility to apply for graduation. No student is a candidate for graduation until the application is received, after which an academic evaluation of the student’s records will be conducted. If it is determined that there are outstanding courses to complete in order to fulfill the degree requirements, the student will be notified and will be required to submit another application for graduation after registering for the term in which the remaining required courses will be completed.

It is the student’s responsibility to meet the following graduation requirements:

• Successfully complete every course required in the program of study. A grade point average of 2.0 or better is required in order to graduate and to be admitted into another program at CCNH.
• Receive final approval of the dissertation or practicum as required for the program.
• Clear financial obligations to CCNH pertinent to the completed degree.
• Complete and submit a graduation application.

Your graduation date is the end date of your last term or 30 days beyond if an extension is required. Diplomas are shipped approximately six to eight weeks after graduation has been verified.

Retake Policy

It is the policy of CCNH to provide additional assistance for students when a test grade drops below 70 percent. When this occurs, a program advisor or faculty member contacts the student in order to offer assistance and to either recommend or require tests to be retaken. All tests, projects, and exams that are eligible to be retaken must be resubmitted to CCNH within 30 days after the original has been graded.

If you score at or below 65 percent on any progress test, final exam, or project, you will be required to retake it. The student must pay the credit hour cost of the course to retake it. If your grade is between 66 and 69 percent, you have the option to retake the test or resubmit the project.

Since retakes are optional for a grade between 66 and 69 percent, you must notify your program advisor within 30 days or no later than one week prior to the end of the term if you intend to retake a test. If you must retake an exam (65 percent or below), a retake answer sheet will be sent to you with the graded, failed exam or entered into your online testing account.

In either case, your final grade for the course will take into account the fact that work was attempted more than once. The original and retake scores will be averaged for the score that is calculated into the final grade. You may retake progress tests, projects, or final exams only once.

Academic Warning/ Probation Policy

A newly enrolled student will be placed on academic warning if a 2.00 grade point average is not achieved upon completion of the first term of enrollment. The student must have a discussion with his or her program advisor and an appropriate faculty member before the next term is begun. If the next term’s grade point average is not 2.00 or higher, then the student will be placed on academic probation. A student on academic probation must meet with his or her program advisor and an appropriate faculty member to agree on a plan of action that will improve the student’s academic progress (e.g., courses to take or repeat, advice for further information, basic writing skills practice, etc.). The program advisor will monitor the student’s academic progress throughout the probationary period. Any academic probation period exceeding two (2) terms of a program will be considered for withdrawal. The chief academic officer or the assistant director of academics will be consulted and notify the student of the decision.

Academic Misconduct/ Penalties

Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, violating CCNH policies by cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, and misrepresentation, beginning with your admissions application. Penalties may range from a reprimand to suspension or withdrawal.

Name Change Policy

It is the policy of CCNH to require official documentation to process a name change for a student or graduate. Official documentation includes marriage license, divorce decree, driver’s license, court order, or social security card. All name changes are approved and processed by the Records Department.

Denial of Admission and Lack of Aptitude/ Proficiency Policy

If upon evaluation of an individual’s application and orientation course, CCNH deems that he or she is unprepared for college level work, Clayton College reserves the right to deny enrollment. Any individual whose academic needs and goals may not be served by CCNH may be denied admission. If a student is found to lack sufficient written aptitude or proficiency in English, he or she may be required to take an English composition course.

If at any time the CCNH academic department determines that a student is not able to satisfactorily complete or progress in the CCNH program in which he or she is enrolled, remedial or probationary action will be taken.

Withdrawal and Refund Policy

A student who wishes to withdraw must notify the school, identifying the effective cancellation or withdrawal date and the reason for the cancellation or withdrawal. The notification may be made by phone, letter, fax, or e-mail. However, we encourage withdrawing students to provide written notice. The following refund policies apply:

Term Cancellation and Refund Policy

Cancellation:

All students are required to sign an Enrollment and Tuition Contract (ETC). An ETC may be cancelled within five calendar days after midnight of the day on which the ETC is submitted to receive a full refund of the tuition paid.

Withdrawal/Refund:

Students who withdraw after the cancellation period will be subject to an administrative fee equal to 20% of the term tuition up to a maximum of $200 and the remaining tuition will be refunded on the following basis:

During Week 1	100%		During Week 6	40%
During Week 2	80%		During Week 7	30%
During Week 3	70%		During Week 8	20%
During Week 4	60%		During Week 9	10%
During Week 5	50%		After Week 9	0%

Annual Enrollment Plan Withdrawal and Refund Policy

Cancellation:

All students are required to sign an Enrollment and Tuition Contract (ETC) when registering for an Annual Enrollment Plan (AEP). An ETC may be cancelled within five calendar days after midnight of the day on which the ETC is submitted to receive a full refund of the tuition paid.

Withdrawal /Refund:

Students who withdraw from an AEP or a particular term within the AEP after the cancellation period will be subject to the following refund policy:

1. No refund is available for terms that the student completes.
2. Withdrawal from a Single Term of the AEP:
   If the student withdraws from a single term of the AEP, but indicates an intention to complete the remainder of the AEP, a refund amount will be calculated, but such refund amount will be credited toward the balance remaining on the AEP. Any balance remaining in the student’s account after completion of the AEP will be refunded to the student or applied to a subsequent enrollment, as requested by the student. The refund amount will be calculated as a percentage of the AEP tuition paid by the student and attributable to that term, determined as follows:
   
   

   During Week 1	100%		During Week 6	40%
   During Week 2	80%		During Week 7	30%
   During Week 3	70%		During Week 8	20%
   During Week 4	60%		During Week 9	10%
   During Week 5	50%		After Week 9	0%

   
   An administrative fee of up to 20% of the tuition or a maximum of $200 will be deducted from the refund.
3. Withdrawal from the Entire AEP: When a student enrolls in an AEP the student is contracting in advance for more than one term of courses. The tuition rates of the AEP reflect a discount or preferential tuition rates in comparison to the tuition rates for single term enrollments; however, the discount/preferential rates are not earned until a student completes all the courses in the AEP. Therefore, if a student withdraws from an entire AEP, the refund outlined below is calculated as if the single term tuition rates had applied to the courses the student completed in whole or in part.
   
   When withdrawing from the entire AEP (other than in the last term of the AEP), the student will be entitled to a refund comprised of a refund for the term currently in progress at the time of the withdrawal (if any) and a refund for the courses left to be completed in the terms that have not yet started. If a term is currently in progress (other than the last term in the AEP), the student is entitled to a refund based on the schedule set forth above, after the portion of the AEP tuition attributable to the current term is recalculated based on the single term tuition rates for the courses in that term. If a student withdraws from the entire AEP in the last term of the AEP, the refund is calculated as described in (2) above.
   
   The refund for any courses remaining in the AEP that will be included in terms which have not yet begun, is determined by calculating the amount of the AEP tuition attributable to the completed terms and any partially completed terms at the single term tuition rates and subtracting that amount from the AEP tuition that has been paid.
   
   An administrative fee of up to 20% of the tuition or a maximum of $200 will be deducted from the refund.

Expiration:

Students in AEPs are expected to register for a sufficient number of classes each term so that the AEP is completed in 12 months. Should all courses in the AEP not be completed within 18 months from the AEP Start Date noted on the ETC, any unused credit hours under this AEP will expire and the student will have no further right to educational instruction under this AEP. The student will not be entitled to a refund of any tuition paid under this AEP.

Arbitration Policy

Any unsettled dispute between the student and CCNH shall, on demand of either party,be submitted by them to arbitration under the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association.

Any such arbitration shall be held in Birmingham, Alabama, and state law shall apply. The agreement to arbitrate shall be specifically enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction. The arbitrators’ decision shall be final and judgment duly entered in accordance with applicable law in any court having jurisdiction.

Grievance Policy

It is the policy of CCNH to continuously monitor student grievances and resolve them as quickly and fairly as possible. Student grievances are addressed by the assistant director of academics and/ or the chief academic officer. All grievances are logged and assessed for possible trends. If trends are found, they are presented to the president and leadership council for potential improvement plans.