Rights & Responsibilities

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DSPS Student Rights

As a qualified student with a verified disability, you have the right to receive reasonable academic accommodations based on your educational limitations in order to have access to activities, programs, and services. The college faculty and staff shall not automatically reject an accommodation unless other effective, more feasible ones exist, or the identified accommodations have been determined to lower academic standards or otherwise fundamentally alter the nature of the program in question. It is understood that:

• Your participation in DSPS shall be entirely voluntary.
• All records maintained by DSPS personnel pertaining to your disabilities shall be protected from disclosure and shall be subject to the Family Educational Rights And Privacy Act requirements for handling of student records. Portions of the information you present to DSPS may be shared with the Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges or other state or federal agencies; however, disclosure to these parties is made in strict accordance with applicable statues regarding confidentiality, including the Family Educational Rights And Privacy Act. According to Section 7 of the Federal Privacy Act, providing your social security number is voluntary.
• Receiving DSPS support services/accommodations or DSPS instruction shall not preclude you from participating in any other course, program or activity offered by the college.
• You shall not be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity in a public entity. In essence, you shall not be discriminated against in any way on the basis of disability.

If you wish to file a formal complaint or grievance regarding discrimination on the basis of disability, you should contact the DSPS Director (805-546-3215) or the ADA/504 Coordinator (805-592-9247). You may also contact the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

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DSPS Student Responsibilities 

Disability Support Programs & Services (DSPS) receives special funding to provide services to students with disabilities and is required to meet state and federal regulations. To help us comply with these regulations, you, as a student receiving DSPS services, have the following responsibilities:

• to provide DSPS with the necessary documentation of a disability;
• to request services;
• to meet with a DSPS Specialist to complete an Academic Accommodation Plan;
• to demonstrate measurable progress toward the goals in your Academic Accommodation Plan;
• to notify DSPS in advance of any absences from class or appointments if you are using readers, interpreters, tutors, and/or other assistants (failure to notify DSPS might result in the loss of services);
• to return any equipment on loan from DSPS at the end of each semester (if the equipment is not returned, you will be held responsible for replacement costs);
• to maintain behavior appropriate in an educational setting; and
• to abide by the Student Code of Conduct and the Academic Honesty policy.

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Cuesta Student Code of Conduct

You are held individually responsible to abide by the information contained in the Cuesta College Catalog and by the Student Code of Conduct. Failure to read and comply with college regulations will not exempt students from whatever penalties they might incur.

You are expected to conduct yourself in an acceptable manner while on campus and when representing Cuesta College in any off‑campus activity. Specific rules and regulations and applicable penalties for violation of the Student Code of Conduct (Ed Code 66300) are available in the Office of the Dean of Student Services at any time. You have the responsibility to be aware of the College regulations.

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Cuesta Academic Honesty

The Student Standards of Conduct defines dishonesty as “. . . Cheating, plagiarism (including plagiarism in a student publication), or engaging in other academic dishonesty” Such behavior shall constitute sufficient cause for the initiation of disciplinary action (Student Code of Conduct).

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Policy for Suspension of DSPS Services

If you fail to follow the written policies and procedures for DSPS services, the DSPS Director will notify you in writing that you are in violation of the DSPS policies and procedures and that if you continue to be in violation, services may be suspended or terminated. You will be invited to discuss the issue in a meeting with the DSPS Director. A written notice will be sent to you when formal action is taken to suspend or terminate services. You will also be notified of the process for appeal of a decision to suspend or terminate services.

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