Relay provides to its students a student grievance policy so that students have a process for seeking to resolve alleged violations of a written Relay policy that directly affect students, where the violation is caused by any member of the Relay community while acting in an official capacity (e.g., faculty member, administrator, staff member). Students have the right to file a grievance without fear of unfair treatment from Relay faculty or staff.
When a student has a grievance, the first thing a student should attempt is to address the faculty or staff member directly and see if a prompt and fair resolution is feasible. Where the discussion with the faculty or staff member is not successful, or the student feels they cannot raise the issue directly with the person, the grievance should be raised in writing with the faculty member’s program director or staff member’s supervisor. If no satisfactory resolution is made through these means, the student may file an official grievance by submitting a student grievance form to support@relay.edu. The Office of Student Affairs will respond to grievances within 10 business days. The Office of Student Affairs will share a copy of the grievance with the Office of the Provost of Teacher Preparation, serve as a facilitator of the grievance process, and maintain copies of the grievance and all supporting documents.
Please note that the details of the grievance, including any written statement, may have to be disclosed in whole or in part with the person against whom the grievance has been raised in order to resolve the grievance.
If the student is not satisfied with the Office of the Provost of Teacher Preparation’s response to the grievance, they may file an appeal, in writing to the Office of Student Affairs, within 10 days of receiving the outcome.
If a grievance is not settled to the student’s satisfaction, the student may contact Relay’s accrediting agency, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), and/or the relevant state agency where Relay is authorized to operate. See Appendix A for a listing of Relay’s accreditors and state authorizing bodies and their contact information.
If a grievance is not settled to the student’s satisfaction in a state where Relay is delivering distance education by virtue of its participation in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), the student may, after the institution’s final decision, appeal the decision to the New York State Education Department’s Office of College and University Evaluation (OCUE), in its capacity as the State Portal Entity for New York under SARA. OCUE will only consider complaints that were previously unresolved by the institution and may refer a complaint to another agency for investigation.
For grievances pertaining to educator preparation-program requirements and educator licensure, students may also contact the relevant state teacher-licensing agency.
California Students: The full institutional grievance process is available to California students in Relay’s online programs. Relay encourages candidates located in California to utilize the institutional grievance process; however, California students have the right to file a complaint with the California Department of Consumer Affairs at any time.
Texas Students: Candidates or former candidates in Relay’s Alternative Certification Program, applicants for candidacy in the Relay certification program, employees or former employees of Relay, cooperating teachers, mentors, and administrators in partnering school districts, charter schools, or private schools may submit a complaint pertaining to educator preparation-program requirements listed in Title 19 of Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §§ 227, 228, 229, ethics (19 TAC § 247), fingerprinting (19 TAC §§ 227, 232) and certification (19 TAC §§ 230, 231, 232, 239, 241, 242) for investigation and resolution in accordance with the Texas Educator Preparation Program Complaint Policy.