J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College (Drake State) recognizes that in order to efficiently and effectively carry out its mission, its students must feel confident that any valid complaint a student may make concerning the College will be promptly addressed by the appropriate authorities. Therefore, the following procedures for resolving such complaints has been adopted by Drake State.
Any student enrolled at J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College who wishes to make a complaint about an academic matter shall report that matter in writing to the Associate Dean of Instruction. Other types of complaints shall be reported to the Dean of Instructional and Student Services. If the complaint involves a specific occurrence, the complaint shall be made within ten (10) working days of the occurrence. If, after discussion between the student and the respective College official, it is determined that the complaint can be resolved immediately, the College official will take action to resolve the complaint and will submit a report within ten working days of the filing of the complaint to the President and other appropriate college officials, detailing both the complaint and its resolution.
If any student’s complaint is not or cannot be resolved at the first level of supervision as described in the paragraph above, such an unresolved complaint shall be termed a “grievance.” A student who submits a complaint to the appropriate College officials under the paragraphs above and who is not satisfied with the plan of resolution shall have the right file a grievance with the College official and shall include the following information:
The grievance statement may also contain other information relevant to the grievance that the complainant wants considered.
If the complainant fails to file notice of appeal by 4:30 pm on the 15th calendar day following having received the plan of resolution, the right to further appeal is forfeited.
The Grievance Officer, either personally or with the assistance of such other persons as the President may designate, shall conduct a factual investigation of the grievance and shall research the applicable statue, regulations or policy, if any. The factual findings from the investigation by the Grievance Officer shall be stated in a written report. The report will be submitted to the complainant and to the party against whom the complaint was made, the “Respondent, “and shall be made a part of the hearing record, if a hearing is requested by the complainant.
Drake State has outlined this procedure for addressing student complaints/grievances. In the event a complaint/grievance is not resolved at Drake State, the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) has implemented a complaint process.
Drake State Student Complaint Process (PDF) (Word)
Drake State Student Complaint Form (PDF) (Word)
ACCS Student Complaint Process