Policy for Complaints against Irvin School of Education Educator Preparation Program

The policy of the Irvin School of Education at Hardin Simmons University, in conjunction with the Texas Education Agency, provides a student complaint process which includes maintaining a record of the formal written complaints received. The policy from TEA reads as follows:

TAC 228.70 :
(a) Purpose. Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff shall maintain a process through which a candidate or former candidate in an educator preparation program (EPP), an applicant for candidacy in an EPP, an employee or former employee of an EPP, a cooperating teacher, a mentor, or an administrator in a school district, charter school, or private school may submit, in accordance with subsection (c)(1) of this section, a complaint about an EPP for investigation and resolution.

The Irvin School of Education encourages the resolution of student complaints through timely communication as close as possible to the point of origin. Students having a complaint concerning courses and/or programs offered by the Educational Studies Department should direct their questions to the professor directly responsible for teaching the course or to the Department Chair if the concern is program related. For issues relating to a student protesting a grade, the university policy will be followed as outlined in the Hardin Simmons University Catalog. Other issues, such as matters of academic integrity, discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct will follow university policy as outlined in the HSU catalog.

The Irvin School of Education seeks to adequately address all student complaints in an acceptable manner that avoids a formal complaint process. Should this goal not be met, the following procedures will apply. When the concern relates to a course or the teacher preparation program, the student should complete the following procedures:

Anonymous or unsigned complaints will not be processed.

Procedure

1. A formal written complaint may be filed by submitting a completed Formal Student Complaint Form to the Associate Dean of the Irvin School of Education. The form should be completed in its entirety including a description of the complaint, the date(s) on which the problem became evident, and a description of the desired outcome.
2. If the matter is a course concern, the Associate Dean’s Office will set up a meeting between the student and the professor involved within ten (10) working days to begin the resolution process. If the concern is program related, the Associate Dean will arrange a meeting with the student and the faculty member and/or Associate Dean whose responsibilities include that part of the program. In all cases, the Associate Dean’s Administrative Assistant will be present to keep accurate minutes of the meeting. A copy of the form submitted by the student and the outcome of the meeting with the Associate Dean will be sent to the office of the Dean of the Kelley College of Business and Professional Studies.
3. The office of the Dean will send a written acknowledgement of the receipt of the complaint to the student via University-provided email within three (3) working days of receipt.
4. A copy of the form submitted by the student and the outcome of the meeting with the Associate Dean will be sent to the office of the Provost.
5. If the matter is still not resolved in a satisfactory manner according to the complainant, the Provost/Chief Academic Officer may meet with all involved to try to come to an agreeable conclusion. The Provost may assign a special committee to rule on the complaint. The Provost will present a ruling on the complaint within 30 calendar days of receipt of the complaint. The Provost will inform the student making the complaint and notify the Associate Dean of the Educational Studies Department in writing (may be via email) of the committee’s decision.

Irvin School of Education and Hardin Simmons University seek to adequately address all student complaints in an acceptable manner that avoids a formal grievance process. If the issue cannot be resolved internally through the Student Complaint process, a student may file a complaint with the Texas Education Agency directly.

Contact TEA directly at:
TEA Complaints Management
1701 N. Congress Ave.
Austin, TX 78701-1494
Telephone: 512.463.3544 Fax: 512.475.3665
Email complaintsmanagement@tea.texas.gov

Website: http://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Educators/Preparation_and_Continuing_Education/Complaints_Against_Educator_Preparation_Programs