Notices to Students

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The Student Rights and Responsibilities publication is an official bulletin of Amarillo College that contains the Student Code of Conduct, Disciplinary Procedures, policies on confidentiality of student records, student grievance procedure, campus procedures, Substance Abuse Prevention Program and information on the Student Assistance Program. It provides a concise statement of policies, regulations and procedures.

The College reserves the right to make changes at any time to reflect current board policies, administrative regulations and procedures, and amendments of state law. Students are urged to study the contents of this publication carefully, for they are responsible for observing these regulations. Failure to comply with these regulations may result in disciplinary action. A link to this digital publication can be found on the left-hand side of this webpage.

In order to comply with Federal Consumer Information Regulations, Amarillo College provides the following information regarding academic graduation rates and the incidence of certain reportable crimes which may occur on campus.

Title I of the Act, known as the “Student Right-to-Know Act”, requires the Amarillo College to disclose institution-wide graduation rates of certificate-seeking or degree-seeking, full-time students entering the institution.

AC’s four-year average Student-Right-to-Know Completion or Graduation Rate is 15%. The four-year average Student-Right-to-Know Transfer-out Rate is 12%

The Amarillo College Police Department has been given the responsibility of assisting victims of both violent and non-violent sexual crimes on campus or while participating in approved College off-campus activities. Victims assistance in the form of counseling, medical referral and legal help can be obtained through the Police Department, 371-5163. Any form of unwanted sexual activity should be reported to the Police Department or the Vice President of Student Affairs, 371-5024.

Amarillo College reports criminal offense statistics to the U.S. Department of Education on an annual basis. The Jeanne Clery Act Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (the Clery Act) requires that post-secondary schools participating in Title IV student financial aid programs publish a statistical report of crimes occurring on or near the institution’s campuses and provide information about security policies, procedures and programs. The intent of the report is to inform students of the extent of reported crimes occurring in the previous calendar year. Data is collected from a variety of sources including other local law enforcement, Community Security Authorities and the Vice President of Student Affairs. The report also includes data from two years prior to the most recent year. The report is prepared annually in compliance with the requirements of the Clery Act and is available on the AC Website at the following location: http://www.actx.edu/police/index.php?module=article&id=58.

The Texas Education Code provides for tuition rebates of up to $1,000 to undergraduate students who complete their baccalaureate degree with a minimum of “excess” courses. You may qualify for this rebate if:

You enrolled for the first time in the Fall of 1997 or later.
You request your rebate for your first baccalaureate degree received from a Texas public institution.
You were a resident of Texas while attempting all of your course work at Texas public institutions.
You attempted no more than three semester credit hours in excess of the minimum required for your degree.

This rebate will be given by the institution granting the baccalaureate degree, not by Amarillo College. Some credit hours earned exclusively by exam may be excluded.

For more information, visit http://www.collegeforalltexans.com/apps/financialaid/tofa2.cfm?ID=447

In accordance with Texas Education Code §54.014 (§54.068 renumbered in 2005), students who have attempted 45 or more credit hours beyond the amount required for their degree at Texas public colleges or universities may be charged additional tuition, up to the level of out-of-state tuition. This includes all credit hours in which a student was registered as of the official census day for the semester (i.e. repeated courses, failed courses, and courses from which the student withdrew after census day); this does not include credit hours for which the student paid out-of-state tuition, courses designated as developmental, any hours removed from admission consideration under Academic Fresh Start (Texas Education Code §51.931), or hours accumulated toward a previous baccalaureate degree. Students who entered higher education for the first time prior to fall 1999 while classified for tuition purposes as a Texas resident are exempt.

Students enrolling in fall 2006 or later may pay a higher tuition rate if they have attempted 30 or more credit hours beyond the amount required for their degree.

The Texas Education Code stipulates that students attending Texas institutions of higher education may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic careers, including courses from which transfer students have withdrawn at other Texas institutions of higher education. There are certain exceptions to this policy and petitions for exceptions should be directed to the Registrar.

The Texas General Appropriations Act of 2003 resulted in the establishment of the following Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board policy. “Public institutions of higher education may not submit for formula funding credit or contact hours attempted by students who have enrolled in courses containing the same content for a third or more times at institutions since September 1, 2002.”

Beginning fall 2011, Amarillo College students who attempt a course with the same content more than twice will be charged an additional $50.00 per credit hour fee for that course.

Students affected by this policy are those who register for a course at AC (Amarillo College) which they have already attempted twice since the fall 2002 term. The policy does not apply to courses taken at other institutions. Students enrolled by the official reporting date for any given course will be counted as having attempted the course, even if they later drop the course.

Certain types of coursework are exempt from the provisions of this policy. Please contact the Registrar’s Office for more information.

Amarillo College is committed to providing an environment free from illegal drugs and alcohol. The College has established a program to prevent the illicit use of drugs and the abuse of alcohol by both students and employees, as well as to inform all persons associated with the College concerning the health risks and potential legal penalties associated with substance abuse. The College’s complete policy is published in the Student Rights and Responsibilities bulletin.

Amarillo College is an equal opportunity community college. It is the policy of Amarillo College not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws in its educational and vocational programs, activities or employment. For information about your rights or grievance procedures, contact the Vice President of Employee & Organizational Development, Lyndy Forrester (371-5044, SSC 269), who has been designated the compliance coordinator for Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, as amended, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the related regulations.

Any student who believes that he or she has been discriminated against on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability by the institution or its personnel may informally discuss the complaint with the Vice President of Student Affairs, or designee,  with the objective of reaching a reasonable solution.  The Vice President of Student Affairs shall advise the student of his or her options in the situation and notify the College’s Title IX Coordinator.

If the aggrieved student believes the complaint has not been resolved at the informal discussion, he or she may submit a written complaint stating his or her name, the nature and date of the alleged violation, names of persons responsible (where known), names of any witnesses, and requested action within 30 working days of the date of the informal discussion, to the Vice President of Student Affairs.  The Vice President of Student Affairs shall ensure that the aggrieved student’s rights to appropriate due process procedures are honored.  If a hearing is held, the Vice President of Student Affairs shall conduct the hearing.  The Vice President of Student Affairs will consult with the College legal counsel and render a decision in writing on the complaint within ten working days. If this decision is not to the student’s satisfaction, he or she may appeal the decision to the Vice President of Student Affairs within ten working days of the receipt of the written decision.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records.  (An “eligible student” under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older or who attends a postsecondary institution.)  These rights include:

1.       The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days after the day that Amarillo College receives a request for access.  A student should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect.  The school official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.  If the records are not maintained by the school official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

2.       The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.

A student who wishes to ask the school to amend a record should write the school official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.

If the school decides not to amend the record as requested, the school will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s right to a hearing re­garding the request for amendment.  Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.

3.       The right to provide written consent before the university discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without con­sent. 

The school discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests.  A school official is a person employed by the [School] in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law en­forcement unit personnel and health staff); a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance com­mittee.  A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside of Amarillo College who performs an institutional service of function for which the school would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent or a student volunteering to assist another school official in performing his or her tasks.  A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an educa­tion record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for Amarillo College.

Upon request, the school also discloses education records without consent to offi­cials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.

4.       The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the [School] to comply with the requirements of FERPA.  The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202

Directory information within a student’s record which may be released upon request at the discretion of the College includes:

• Student’s name
   
• Participation in officially recognized activities
   
• Address
   
• Telephone listing
   
• Electronic mail address
   
• Photograph
   
• Degrees, honors, and awards received
   
• Date and place of birth
   
• Major field of study
   
• Dates of attendance
   
• The most recent educational agency or institution attended.

If a student does not wish for this public information to be released, he/she is responsible for notifying the Registrar’s Office, located in the Student Service Center, in writing by the 12th class day each regular semester and by the 4th class day of the summer term.

Beginning with the spring 2012 semester, all new Amarillo College students under the age of 22 will be required to show proof of Bacterial Meningitis vaccinations 10 days prior to starting classes.

Amarillo College recommends that students entering this institution be fully vaccinated prior to enrollment and preventative vaccinations be taken when required. The consequences of not being fully immunized for diphtheria, rubella, mumps, tetanus and poliomyelitis are severe. An outbreak of any of these diseases can have a devastating impact on the campus community. Immunization is an integral part of preventative health care.

All students majoring in the health-care fields must provide documented proof that they have been fully immunized prior to program admission. Students in Allied Health and Nursing programs should consult with their program chairs regarding mandatory immunization requirements.

For additional immunization information, you are encouraged to contact your family physician, the county health department, or the Immunization Division of the Texas Department of Health.

Amarillo College does not provide health insurance for students. However, information from various insurance carriers is kept on file in the Vice President of Student Affairs Office for students to review for individual purchase.