2. Student Welfare
D.2.01 - Attendance:
Student attendance in class is important for the educational experience, and students are expected to attend all classes in which they are enrolled. Each faculty member shall communicate the attendance policy to his or her classes.
D.2.02 - Religious Holy Days:LSCS shall include in its catalog and official bulletins a statement regarding its attendance policies and procedures for religious holy days.
A “religious holy day” means a holy day observed by a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property taxation under Section 11.20 of the Tax Code.
A student needing to be absent from class to observe a religious holy day must submit a written notice to each instructor whose class falls on that day. Written notice must be provided to the instructor no later than the second class meeting. The student may deliver the written notice personally to the instructor by receipted delivery, or in the alternative, the student may forward the written notice to the instructor by receipted courier delivery or by United States certified mail, return receipt requested, sent in enough time so as to be delivered no later than the fifteenth day after the first day of the semester.
Upon receipt of a timely written notice, the student’s attendance record will properly reflect an excused absence.
A student who is absent from classes for the observance of a religious holy day shall be allowed to complete an assignment or take an examination scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence. A student who is excused under this section may not be penalized for the absence; however, the instructor may appropriately respond if the student fails to satisfactorily complete any missed assignment and/or examination.
“[i]f a student and an instructor disagree about the nature of the absence being for the observance of religious holy day as defined [above], or if there are similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a ruling from the [LSCS] chief executive officer or his or her designee. The student and instructor shall abide by [such ruling].”
D.2.03 - Crime/Security Reports:
Each LSCS College shall collect information with respect to campus crime statistics and campus security policies and prepare, publish and distribute an annual security report, as required by federal guidelines, through appropriate publications, electronic media, or mailings to all current students and employees and to any applicant for enrollment or employment upon request. This report shall include the following:
a. A statement of current policies concerning security of and access to campus facilities, and security considerations used in the maintenance of campus facilities.
b. A statement of current policies concerning campus law enforcement, including:
i. the enforcement authority of security personnel, including their working relationship with state and local police agencies, and whether those security personnel have the authority to arrest individuals; and
ii. the policies that encourage accurate and prompt reporting of all crimes to the campus police and the appropriate police agencies.
c. A description of procedures, if any, that encourage professional counselors, when they deem it appropriate, to inform the persons they are counseling of any procedures to report crimes on a voluntary, confidential basis for inclusion in the annual disclosure of crime statistics.
d. A description of the type and frequency of programs designed to inform students and employees about campus security procedures and practices and to encourage students and employees to be responsible for their own security and the security of others.
e. A description of programs designed to inform students and employees about the prevention of crimes.
D.2.04 - Recording Crimes:
LSCS shall develop, publish, and distribute a statement of policy concerning the monitoring and recording of criminal activity on-campus as well as at off-campus sites used and/or frequented by students and registered student organizations. Monitoring information shall be obtained through the records of local law enforcement agencies.
D.2.05 - Required Reports:
D.2.06 -
On the request of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, LSCS Colleges shall make available the information required to be reported by the federal Student Right-To-Know Act and the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act (Pub. L. No. 101-542) for the previous year. The information must be reported in the form required by such Acts. Student Support Services:
The Chancellor shall ensure that the Colleges make available to all students effective programs of student support services, including academic advising services, counseling services, skills assessment and placement services, career services, financial aid services, student enrollment services, and support services for students with disabilities.
D.2.07 - Student Health Notices and Immunizations:
AIDS/HIV Policy: LSCS’s policy on HIV infection and AIDS shall be included in the student handbook and be available for viewing by all new and returning students on LSCS’s website.
LSCS’s student service offices shall keep on hand for distribution to students on request the Texas Department of State Health Services’ educational pamphlet on HIV infection and shall include in the student handbook a statement that the pamphlet is available.
Bacterial Meningitis: Information on Bacterial Meningitis, including symptoms, modes of transmission, availability and efficacy of vaccination and treatment, shall be made available to all new and returning students on LSCS’s website. Immunizations: Students in programs that require immunizations must submit proof of such immunizations.
The Chief Student Services Officer is required to report, on the day of recognition, all suspected or known cases of vaccine-preventable diseases, which occurred among staff or students, to the local health authority, the city or the county health department/district, the city or county health officer, the public health regional office, or the Texas Department of Health in Austin, thus alerting health officials to possible outbreaks of these diseases.
D.2.08 - Drug and Alcohol Testing:
Students and faculty in the health occupation and emergency services or child care programs may be required to undergo drug testing if there is reasonable cause to believe they may be impaired by chemical or alcohol or as required by clinical facilities.
D.2.09 - Criminal Background Checks:
Prior to registering in an LSCS health professions and emerging services and child development program, a student shall be required to satisfactorily complete a criminal background check to be performed by an external consumer agency selected by LSCS. The student shall sign an authorization form and pay the cost of the background check directly to the agency. Results of the background check, which shall be maintained as confidential, shall be sent directly to the program director and also to the student.
D.2.10 - Legal Notice Regarding Steroids:
The following notice regarding legal restrictions on steroids shall be posted in each gymnasium in LSCS:
"Anabolic steroids and growth hormones are for medical use only. State law prohibits the possession, dispensing, delivery or administering of an anabolic steroid or growth hormone in any manner not allowed by state law. State law provides that bodybuilding, muscle enhancement, or increasing muscle bulk or strength through the use of an anabolic steroid by a person who is in good health is not a valid medical purpose. Only a medical doctor may prescribe an anabolic steroid or human growth hormone for a person. A violation of state law concerning anabolic steroids or human growth hormones is a criminal offense punishable by confinement in jail or imprisonment in the Texas Department of Corrections."
D.2.11 - Graduation Rates:
LSCS shall produce and make readily available through appropriate publications, electronic media, and mailings to all current students, and to any prospective student upon request, the completion or graduation rates of certificate- or degree-seeking, full-time students entering LSCS. The information shall be updated not less than biennially.