Compliance, Policy & Procedures

Compliance, Policy & Procedures

Substance Abuse Policy consistent with Iowa Code § 261.9(1)(e).

• The use or possession of illegal drugs as well as the abuse of alcohol and other intoxicants creates a serious threat to the health and well-being of the user and in some instances to fellow employees and private citizens. Foresight IT has a responsibility to provide a work environment free of drugs and alcohol, and students and employees have the right to perform their duties with persons not impaired by drugs and alcohol.
• In compliance with the 1989 Drug-Free Schools and Campuses Act Amendments, all Foresight IT faculty, students, visitors, and staff are hereby notified that the unlawful possession, use, distribution, manufacture or dispensing of illicit drugs and alcohol, including controlled substances, is prohibited on the premises, in its activities, either in the workplace, or in such places and at such times that could have an adverse effect on the employee’s work performance or behavior, or interfere with the rights and privileges of co-workers or the public.
• To assist students and employees in broadening their knowledge of the harmful effects of illicit drugs, controlled substances, and alcohol, and to assist in the treatment of alcoholism or drug addiction, Foresight IT provides the following information: the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace.
• the existence of regional substance abuse treatment facilities and programs; and
• the penalties which may be imposed for Drug Free Environment Policy violations.

As a condition of employment, faculty and staff members agree to abide by the terms outlined in this policy.

Sexual Abuse Policy consistent with Iowa Code § 261.9(1)(f).

Allegations of sexual harassment will be taken seriously, and prompt investigation will occur. Any form of retaliation against someone for resisting sexually harassing behavior, reporting a complaint under this policy, assisting the complainant, or cooperating in an investigation of a complaint is prohibited, and may be unlawful.

What is Sexual Harassment?

Iowa Code section 19B.12 defines sexual harassment as “persistent, repetitive, or highly egregious conduct directed at a specific individual or group of individuals that a reasonable person would interpret as intentional harassment of a sexual nature, taking into consideration the full context in which the conduct occurs, which conduct threatens to impair the ability of a person to perform the duties of employment, or otherwise function normally within an institution responsible for the person’s care, rehabilitation, education, or training.

There are two forms of sexual harassment:

• An employee or student is subjected to unwelcome speech or conduct of a sexual or non-sexual nature that is directed at the employee or student because of his or her sex, and the conduct creates a “hostile work environment.”
• An employment benefit or continued employment is conditioned on the employee’s participation in some form of sexual behavior. This is also known as “quid pro quo harassment.”

Filing a Complaint

• Any person who believes he or she has been subjected to sexual harassment should immediately report the matter to his or her direct supervisor, the next higher supervisor, Foresight IT’s President
• An investigation of a sexual harassment complaint will be undertaken, however, regardless of the manner in which the complaint is conveyed.
• Complaints and records relating to complaints are confidential and not subject to disclosure under Iowa’s open records laws.

Employee Responsibilities

• All Foresight IT employees are responsible for knowing and understanding the State of Iowa Policy Prohibiting Sexual Harassment, and for maintaining a work atmosphere free of all forms of sexual harassment.
• If an employee experiences or witnesses any incident of inappropriate or unprofessional behavior in the workplace, he or she believes may violate this policy, the employee should immediately report the incident and, if circumstances permit, express his or her concerns directly to the offending person.

Additional Resources

Nothing contained in the policy is intended to replace or deny any rights available under applicable local, state, and federal laws or regulations.

The Iowa Civil Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunity Commission administer laws and regulations regarding employment discrimination and harassment, which include deadlines for filing discrimination complaints. For more information, these agencies may be contacted at:

Iowa Civil Rights Commission

Grimes State Office Building, 400 E. 14th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
515-281-4121; 800-457-4416 (toll free)
http://icrc.iowa.gov

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Reuss Federal Plaza
310 West Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 500
Milwaukee, WI 533203-2292
Phone: 1-800-669-4000 (toll free)

Child Abuse Reporting Policy pursuant with Iowa Code § 261.9(1)(h) and Iowa Administrative Code § 283-21.14(1)(e)

Any Foresight IT employee located in Iowa who in the scope of the person’s employment responsibilities examines, attends, counsels, or treats a child must report suspected physical or sexual abuse to the institution’s administration and to law enforcement. Any report of suspected child physical or sexual abuse should be made as soon as possible, but within 48 hours, to the ForesightIT and the employee shall immediately make a report to local law enforcement. Nothing in the school’s policies shall prohibit an employee from reporting suspected child abuse in good faith to Law enforcement.

Any employee, student, or visitor who is not a mandatory reporter is encouraged to report any type of “child abuse” to DHS as provided by Iowa law.

Tuition Refund Policy for Active Duty Military pursuant to Iowa Code Section 261.9(1)g.

Foresight IT recognizes developed procedures to provide each student with maximum flexibility.
Consistent with the policy developed during the Middle East crisis of 1990, veterans, members of the National Guard, US military reservists, spouses, and dependents that are affected by military activation have the following options:

• Withdraw from the student’s entire registration and receive a full refund of tuition and mandatory fees.
• Make arrangements with the student’s instructors for course grades, or for incompletes that shall be completed by the student at a later date. If such arrangements are made, the student’s registration shall remain intact and tuition and mandatory fees shall be assessed for the courses in full.
• Plan with only some of the student’s instructors for grades, or for incompletes that shall be completed by the student at a later date. If such arrangements are made, the registration for those courses shall remain intact and tuition and mandatory fees shall be assessed for those courses. Any course for which arrangements cannot be made for grades or incompletes shall be considered dropped and the tuition and mandatory fees for the course refunded.

Note: For a program in which a student’s academic progress is measured only in clock hours, the school shall provide a full refund of tuition and mandatory fees to a student who withdraws and requests that benefit for the payment period in which the student withdrew. The payment period is determined under rules promulgated by the U.S. Department of Education for the disbursement of Federal Stafford Loan Funds.

US military reservists, spouses, and dependents that are affected by military activation have the following options:

Withdraw the entire registration and 100% of the tuition and mandatory fees would be refunded.

If arrangements are made with the instructor for grades or incompletes (to be made up later) in the courses, the registration would remain intact and tuition and mandatory fees would be assessed in full.

If arrangements are made with only some of the instructors for grades or incompletes, the registration for those courses would remain intact and tuition and mandatory fees would be assessed for those courses. Any courses for which arrangements cannot be made for grades or incompletes could be dropped and the tuition and mandatory fees for those courses would be refunded.

Financial aid is refunded in accordance with existing Iowa and Federal policies for each of the above situations. Inquiries should be directed to the Chief Financial Officer. These procedures do not apply to reservists who are fulfilling their annual two-week active duty.

In addition to the above mentioned policy there are implications related to any financial aid you may have through the various federal programs. The rules on these are not necessarily within the control of this institution. Consultation with the Veterans Administration or local unit education office is advised as soon as is convenient.

FERPA and Student Records Policy.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law, affords students certain rights with respect to their education records.

They are: (1) the right to inspect and review education records within 45 days of the day the we receives a request for access; (2) the right to request the amendment of the education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading; (3) the right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent; and (4) the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University of Iowa to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

The address of the Student Privacy Policy Office, which administers FERPA, is 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC, 20202-4605. Whether or not a student elects to contact the U.S. Department of Education, they are welcome to file an internal complaint with Foresight IT’s President (John@foresightit.co).

Iowa defines the following categories as directory information under FERPA: name; residing address; permanent/hometown address; residing telephone number; photographs and video recordings of students in public or non-classroom settings; e-mail address; Programs of Study (including but not limited to: majors, minor, certificates, classification, and degree objective); college(s) enrolled in; dates of attendance; full-time/part-time enrollment status; degrees, certificates, honors, scholarships and awards received, not including monetary amounts, including those applied for during the current academic term

To facilitate the disclosure of student education record information, FERPA information release forms are available in the main office.

FERPA permits disclosure of education record information to school officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the information without the student’s consent. A school official is a person employed by the Foresight IT in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); or assisting another school official in performing their tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if they need to review an education record to fulfill professional responsibilities. A volunteer or contractor outside of Foresight IT is considered a school official for purposes of this policy if they perform an institutional service or function for which we would otherwise use our own employees and who is under the direct control of Foresight IT with respect to the use and maintenance of personally identifiable information from education records.

Not all information related to students is defined as part of an education record under FERPA. For example, law enforcement records, medical records, and alumni records are not accessible as education records.

Some courses both in-person and those offered online or via a course management system like ICON (powered by Canvas, WebCT, or Blackboard) may require the sharing of information including name, email address, and phone, with fellow classmates to facilitate classroom interaction. This is not prohibited by FERPA and may be expected of all students, even those who have a directory information restriction. Students are encouraged to discuss any concerns they have regarding the sharing of this type of information with the instructor prior to enrolling in a course.

In 1998, Congress enacted a law restricting student financial aid to persons convicted of certain illicit drug crimes (20 U.S.C. 1091(r)). Foresight IT, in compliance with this law, may disseminate certain information in the student’s record related to financial aid or criminal history to the Department of Education or other appropriate enforcement agency.

Student requests to inspect education records governed by FERPA should be submitted to the office which maintains the records at issue. Staff will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

Students may also ask to amend a record they believe is inaccurate or misleading. The request should be made in writing to the university official responsible for the record, clearly identify the desired change, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading.

Students are not entitled to copies of education records in every case under FERPA; however, they may have copies made of their records if copies are necessary to assist their right to inspect and review the record or when a disclosure is made to another institution.

Student Questions or Concerns regarding ForesightIT:

If a student has a question about ForesightIT or a concern, he or she may also contact the Bureau of Iowa College Aid (Iowa College Aid) within the Iowa Department of Education via webform at https://educate.iowa.gov/higher-ed/student-complaints

Foresight IT’s refund policy is in compliance with Iowa Code § 714.23

Refund Policy:

Organizations or Individuals who have paid and reserved a seat in a class will not be afforded a refund if the student cannot attend on the date reserved but have the following several options:

• attend the same class on another date;
• if travel is now an issue, attend the course via Live Virtual training;
• attend a different class up to the same price of the class (or pay for the difference for a higher cost class); or send a different student to the same or different class up to the same price of the class (or pay for the difference for a higher cost class).

Foresight IT reserves the right to cancel or reschedule classes at any time. Should Foresight IT cancel a class, Foresight IT will:

• provide a full refund for the course;
• allow student to reschedule for the next date(s) for the course;
• allow substitute class of the same or lesser value; or allow substitute students to attend classes of the same or lesser value.

Training must be completed within 2 years of purchase.

Payment in full is expected prior to the start of class and must be made by check or credit card unless other arrangements have been made. Based on space availability, advanced payment of two weeks or more guarantees a spot in the training session. Training expenses begin to incur at least two weeks prior to the training session.

Failure to cancel or reschedule registrations at least ten full business days prior to class start date will result in a 50% cancellation fee. Students who fail to cancel or reschedule class registrations at least five full business days (excluding weekends) prior to class and/or do not attend the session will forfeit their tuition fee. A full refund is granted when the request is made at least two calendar weeks prior to the class start date. All refunds are subject to a $100 administration fee.

Foresight IT reserves the right to cancel or reschedule classes at any time. A student may retake a course provided the student uses the same course materials, and the same version of the class is still being taught.

Foresight IT reserves the right to remove any student from any class at any time for any reason.