When official action to prevent entry or continuation in the Teacher Education Program is taken, or when a teacher candidate is removed from a field experience or student teaching experience, the teacher candidate will have the right to file a formal appeal to the Teacher Education Admission and Retention Committee.
Actions that can be appealed through the teacher education appeals process:
- Denial of admission into the Teacher Education Program
- Suspension of program admission status
- Removal from Teacher Education Program
- Removal from field placement
- Removal from student teaching
Actions that cannot be appealed through the teacher education appeals process:
- Removal from a field or student teaching placement that was requested by the public school system
- Course grades (Including the grading of projects or assignments in a course)
- Denial of program admission that is based on the failure to meet one or more of the program admission requirements
Appeal Process
- Within 5 class days of receiving notice of the action taken, (defined as days that the university is in session and holding classes) the teacher candidate must write a formal letter of appeal outlining the points of the appeal. The letter of appeal must be presented to the Admission/Retention Coordinator. This request for an appeal may be presented in paper form, or in electronic form. If it is presented in electronic form, the candidate is responsible for making sure that the Admission/Retention Coordinator receives the letter.
- Upon receipt of the letter of appeal, the Admission/Retention Coordinator will notify the candidate and the members of the Teacher Education Admission and Retention Committee and the Director of Teacher Education that the letter of appeal has been received.
- The Director of Teacher Education will be requested to provide a written report to the Admissions and Retention Committee outlining the action taken and the reasons for the action and including any relevant documentation.
- As soon as possible after receiving the letter of appeal, the Admission/Retention Coordinator will convene a meeting of the ad-hoc Teacher Education Admission and Retention Committee to review the nature of the appeal and to establish a time for the committee to hear the case. Three Teacher Education Unit members who are not from the content area of the appellant will be selected by the Admission/Retention Coordinator. Normally, this process should not take longer than two weeks.
- In instances where members of the committee are associated with the candidate or with issues involved in the appeal, the Admission/Retention Coordinator may replace them with other faculty members who are able to function objectively on the committee.
- The Admission/Retention Coordinator will notify the candidate of the location and time for the Appeals Committee hearing.
- The teacher candidate may present printed evidence or testimony which supports the points of the appeal. This includes witness testimony.
- Representatives of the University or other stakeholders may be called by the committee to testify or provide evidence.
- The committee reserves the right to visit schools or other venues involved in the case to gather evidence. (Example: The Committee Chair may visit a school to examine the visitor sign in log if tardiness to a student teaching placement is an issue under appeal.)
- Committee Protocol
a. Each of the principal parties in the appeal may have an advocate present. The advocate must be a WLU student, faculty member, or staff member who may confer with but may not speak for or present evidence on the candidate’s behalf. The same rule applies to any institutional representatives who provide testimony to the committee.
b. Each witness will be permitted to provide his or her testimony without interruption as long as the witness testimony is directly related to the points of the appeal. The Committee Chair will interrupt the testimony if it does not directly relate to one or more of the points of the appeal. At the conclusion of his or her presentation, the members of the committee are permitted to ask questions. Witnesses are not permitted to question each other during the hearing.
c. The committee hearing will begin with the Director of Teacher Education or his/her designate explaining the action under appeal and the reasons the action was taken. This presentation may include testimony from other individuals who are directly involved in the case.
d. After the nature of the action under appeal and the reasons for that action have been presented to the committee, the candidate will present his or her case to the committee.
e. After the candidate presents his or her case and answers any questions from committee members, he or she will be permitted to make a concluding statement.
f. Upon conclusion of the hearing, the committee will deliberate and arrive at a decision.
g. Within ten school days of the hearing, the Admission/Retention Coordinator will notify the candidate of the decision of the committee.
h. The Admission/Retention Coordinator reserves the right to make an audio recording of the hearing. If such a recording is made, an unedited copy will be provided to the candidate upon request. - The teacher candidate may appeal the decision of the committee to the Dean of the College of Education.
a. Appealing to the Dean of the College of Education
i. Within five class days of receiving notice of the action taken by the Admission/Retention Committee, (defined as days that the university is in session and holding classes) the teacher candidate must write a formal letter of appeal outlining the points of the appeal. The letter of appeal must be presented to the Dean of the College of Education. This request for an appeal may be presented in paper form or in electronic form. If it is presented in electronic form, the candidate is responsible for making sure that the Dean of the College of Education receives the letter.
ii. Upon receipt of the letter of the appeal, the Dean will notify the candidate, the Admission/Retention Coordinator, and the Director of Teacher Education that the letter of appeal has been received.
iii. Within five class days of the receipt of the filed appeal, the Dean of the College of Education will meet with Admission/Retention Coordinator and separately with the teacher candidate who is making the appeal for presentation of information and documentation of regarding the appeal. The teacher candidate may bring an advocate to the meeting. The advocate must be a WLU student, faculty member, or staff member who may confer with but may not speak for the client.
iv. Within five class days of the presentations, the Dean of the College of Education will provide an electronic or written copy of the appeal decision to the teacher candidate, the Director of Teacher Education, the Admission/Retention Coordinator, and Provost of West Liberty University. This decision will be final.