Coastline College extends to all students the right to petition for readdress of a grievance. The right to petition may be initiated at any time when the student has a grievance against any college employee, policy, or procedure at Coastline College.

Every effort will be made to preserve confidentially as grievances are fairly and equitably considered. The procedures will allow students to exhaust every administrative level possible in receiving a fair and complete hearing of their grievances. These are college-level procedures for resolving problems and should not be viewed as legal or quasi-legal proceedings.

Based on the principle of improved communication between the students and the institution, the following procedures will be followed for students registering grievances:

Note: In order to establish due process, all parties to the grievances will adhere to the steps as outlined.

Step I: Prior to filing a formal grievance, the student is expected to first contact the Dean of Students and the person(s) who has (have) the closest contact with the pertinent issue. The grievance should be thoroughly defined to be discussed objectively.

If the grievance cannot be resolved at this step, the student may progress to Step II after informing the person(s) involved of their intended plans to file a formal grievance. The formal grievance must be filed during the semester in which the grievance occurs.

Step II: The student meets with the Dean of Students to discuss the grievance. At this step, the “Formal Grievance Petition” is filed. The Dean of Students will serve as an ombudsman to objectively examine both sides of the issue.

The Dean of Students will meet with all persons involved with the grievance. At the conclusion of Step II, the Dean of Students, within five (5) school days, will provide the student and others involved with a written summary of the discussion.

If the grievance has not been resolved by this step, the student may proceed to Step III.

Step III: The student, within five (5) school days after the conclusion of Step II, will submit a written request to the Dean of Students for a meeting of the Grievance Committee.

The committee membership will include:

1. The appropriate Dean for the Area involved
2. Vice President of Instruction
3. Faculty Member/College Employee
4. Vice President of Student Services

A meeting of the grievance committee will be called by the Dean of Students to review and/or take action on the grievance. In (10) ten school days after the student has filed a written request, the committee will meet with all involved parties and discuss the grievance in detail in an attempt to resolve the issue. Meetings will be chaired by the Dean of Students.

Within five (5) school days, the decision and proposed action will be communicated to the following individuals:

1. Student involved
2. Committee members
3. College President
4. Other person(s) involved with the grievance

Step IV: If either the student or the other person(s) involved are not satisfied with the decision of action of the Grievance Committee an appeal may be made. Within five (5) school days after the decision or action, the student must file an appeal with the President of the College for consideration. Once the College President has reviewed the student’s appeal and the written communication from the Grievance Committee, the President will schedule a private meeting with the student to discuss the matter.

Note: The College President has discretionary power to uphold, reverse, or modify the action taken by the Grievance Committee. The president’s decision will be delivered to the student in writing with copies to the appropriate individuals involved.

Step V: If the student is not satisfied with the final college level disposition of the case, she/he may, through the Chancellor of the Coast Community College District, appeal directly to the Board of Trustees. The Board, after reviewing the materials pertaining to the grievance, may determine the time, place, and manner of the hearing.