Standards and Policies

We provide students with the academic foundation and clinical experience for a successful career in nursing.

Learn about standards and policies at The Belanger School of Nursing through the links below.

Standards and Policies:

•   Attendance Policy
  Students are required to attend all scheduled sessions of class, clinical practice, special assignments. Each student is expected to use their own judgment in determining unsafe travel conditions.

  In the event of illness or other unforeseen events, the student is responsible to notify both:

  • the school office (518.831.8810) at least one-half hour before scheduled session;
  • and the area of clinical assignment at least one half hour before scheduled session.

  Details of the attendance policy are outlined in The Belanger School of Nursing Student Handbook. Consult the Schenectady County Community College (SCCC) catalog for the attendance policy pertaining to SCCC courses.

•   Leave of Absence
  A student who is in good standing at the time of request may be eligible for a leave of absence.

  A leave of absence may be granted by the Admissions and Evaluations Committee and may not exceed sixty days. To comply with federal financial aid regulations, any leave of absence extending more than sixty days (or involving additional school charges) is considered a withdrawal and will be treated accordingly.

  A request for leave of absence and subsequent return to the school should be made in writing to the Director.

  Re-enrollment following a leave of absence will be contingent upon space available in the class at the time of the request to return to the school.

  Details of the Leave of Absence Policy are in the Belanger School of Nursing Student Handbook.

•   Withdrawl and Reduced Credit Load
  A student may withdraw from a nursing course without penalty any time up to the withdrawal date identified on the current Academic Calendar during a regular semester and the Summer session. For such withdrawals a grade of W is assigned. A student who withdraws after the above time frames or without written notification, receives the academic grade earned at the completion of the term.

   

•   Repeating Courses
  Reapplication to the school for acceptance is required to repeat a failed course. Only the grade earned in the repeated course will be used in the future grade computations, although all grades will be retained on the academic transcript.
•   Maximum Timeframe to Complete Program
  The Belanger School of Nursing program must be completed within three academic years. This policy has been established to ensure the successful pursuit of a professional education as well as for eligibility for financial aid.

•   Satisfactory Academic Progress
  Good Standing -To be in good standing, a student must maintain a minimum 2.00 GPA and CGPA each semester.

  Progression - All courses required in each semester must be satisfactorily completed before progression to the next semester.

  Academic Warning Notice - Students with a quiz/exam average below 77 and/or unsatisfactory clinical performance will receive a written academic warning notice of unsatisfactory progress from the course instructor. This determination can be made by the evaluating faculty at any time during the course.

  The student will be advised of the need for a higher level of performance throughout his/her evaluating period. In order to assure due process, the student will be regularly advised of unsatisfactory academic and/or clinical progress through the following means: theory grades, anecdotal records, progress conferences with documentation and student plan for improvement, and/or warning notices.

  The course instructor will send copies of the Academic Warning Notice to the student, the chairperson of the Admissions and Evaluations Committee, the students advisor and a copy placed in the students academic file.

•   Academic Failure
  The student who does not meet course criteria by the end of the course will receive a failing grade.

  In the event of course failure, the following persons are to be notified by the course instructor: the student, the students advisor, the Director, and the Chairperson of the Admissions and Evaluations Committee. The course instructor will advise the student to contact his/her advisor.

•   Dismissal
  A student is subject to dismissal following:

  • receipt of a grade of less than a C in any required course
  • failure to provide safe, effective and supportive nursing care in clinical practice at that level of instruction
•   Disciplinary Matters
  Disciplinary action for non-academic offenses will be determined by the Admissions and Evaluations Committee. Any disciplinary action taken under this policy is intended to be corrective and not punitive in nature and is based on treatment of the student as an individual. The circumstances and seriousness of a situation will determine the form of disciplinary action to be taken. Disciplinary action will consist of written warning or dismissal.

  A student is subject to dismissal following:

  • failure to respond to a general offense notice issued for 2 consecutive days of unauthorized absence. The course instructor will issue a general offense notice following 2 consecutive days of unauthorized absence from the course. Failure to respond to this notice within 2 weeks of the last day of attendance will result in course failure and dismissal.
  • determination by faculty that a student is unsuited to the nursing profession or who shows, by actions and conduct, unwillingness to cooperate with school policies. Policies and procedures of due process with regard to non-academic and academic issues are outlined in the Student Handbook.
•   Academic Hearing
  A student wishing to appeal an academic failure should begin the process by consulting first with the course and/or evaluating instructor, and the student's advisor. The advisor will counsel the student to objectively review circumstances relating to the academic failure. If no resolution is achieved then the student may request an academic hearing by presenting, in writing, any evidence of intentional lack of due process, bias and/or inconsistent application of standards to the Director of the School. The Director will then determine if there is sufficient evidence for a hearing based on the students documentation.

•   Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
  In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, students have access to all their records, which are maintained in the Registrar's office. Students may inspect their files upon written request. Any unsuccessful attempt should be reported to the Director.

  Only those within the School of Nursing who have a legitimate educational interest may have access to student records. Access to student files is denied to outside persons unless the student gives written permission with the exception of "directory information" (name, local address and telephone number). Other exceptions as permitted under the Act include information given to organizations providing financial aid, to accrediting agencies, in compliance with a judicial order, and in an emergency in order to protect the health or safety of students or others.

  Students may request that any or all of the directory information may not be released without his or her written consent. Such requests must be submitted annually in writing to the Director of the school. The request should include signature and date.

•   Records Retention Policy
  The records for students currently enrolled, graduates and withdrawn students are maintained in fire-proof files by the Registrar with the exception of the health records which are kept on file in the health office. Currently enrolled students' records include admission data, academic records, and financial data. The policy is available for review in the Registrar's office.
•   Tuition Payment Policy
  Tuition payments are due in full prior to the beginning of each academic semester. Students will be mailed a tuition bill after the registration process is completed. If necessary, students may defer their tuition against anticipated financial aid by applying for aid in advance, and returning their financial aid award letter to the School of Nursing by the payment due date.

  If a student has extenuating circumstances that will prevent timely payment of tuition, a financial conference must be scheduled with the Financial Aid Coordinator prior to the tuition due date. The complete Tuition Payment Policy can be found in the Student Handbook.

•   Refund Policy
  Students who withdraw from The Belanger School of Nursing by resignation, leave of absence* or dismissal may receive a tuition refund for the current semester provided they submit an official withdrawal form to the school office. The refund calculation will be based on the students official date of withdrawal. The failure of a student to notify the Director, in writing, of withdrawal may delay refund of tuition due pursuant to section 5002 of the Education Law.

  *Based on federal regulations, an approved leave of absence of less than or equal to sixty days is not considered a withdrawal. Click here for Standards & Policies to view the entire Leave of Absence policy.

  Students not receiving Title IV funds

  To withdraw, students must file an official withdrawal form at the school office prior to 4:00 pm of the following periods. Students who withdraw from all courses or reduce their credit load by withdrawing from an individual course will adhere to the following refund policy:

  In cases where the student withdraws from School of Nursing courses but continues on at SCCC, the refund policy will apply only to the nursing courses. The student will be considered a Belanger School of Nursing student through the end of the semester and will be charged the full cost of the SCCC courses.

  Students receiving Title IV funds

  To withdraw from the school completely, students must file an official withdrawal form at the school office. A student "earns" approved and verified federal aid awards in proportion to the number of days in the semester prior to the students complete withdrawal. If a student completely withdraws from school during a semester, the school must calculate, according to a specific formula, the portion of the total scheduled financial assistance that the student has earned and is therefore entitled to retain, until the time that the student withdraws.

  If a student receives (or Belanger School of Nursing receives on the students behalf) more assistance than he/she earns, the unearned funds must be returned to the Department of Education or to the Federal Stafford or parents Federal Plus loan lenders. If a students charges are less than the amount earned, and a refund is due, the student may be able to receive those additional funds. If a student receives a cash disbursement of a Federal Pell Grant, he/she may also be required to repay a portion of these unearned federal grant funds to the U.S. Department of Education.

  The portion of the federal grants and loans that the student is entitled to receive is calculated on a percentage basis by comparing the total number of days in the semester to the number of days that the student completed before withdrawing. For example, if a student completes 30% of the semester, he/she earns 30% of the approved federal aid that he/she was originally scheduled to receive for that semester. This means that 70% of the students scheduled or disbursed aid remains unearned and must be returned to the federal programs.

  This policy governs the earned and unearned portions of the Federal Title IV Aid only. It determines how much, if any, the student and/or school may need to return. This policy does not effect the students charges. The schools withdrawal policy will be used to determine the reduction, if any, in the students tuition and fee charges. The student is responsible for paying any outstanding charges to the school.

  If a student completes more than 60% of the semester, he/she is considered to have earned 100% of the federal aid and the student would owe no repayment as a consequence of their withdrawal.

  Any funds that the student is required to return to the federal programs are considered an overpayment. The student must either repay the amount in full or make satisfactory payment arrangements with the Department of Education to repay the amount. If the student fails to repay, or make payment arrangements to repay an overpayment, the student will lose his/her eligibility to receive future federal financial aid at any institution.

  Any unearned Title IV Aid will be returned to the federal government and applied to the federal program in the following order: Stafford Unsubsidized Loan, Stafford Subsidized Loan, Federal Pell Grant. Each student will receive from The Belanger School of Nursing a written acknowledgement of the amount of unearned aid returned to the federal government.

  Title IV Refund Fee

  A fee in the amount equal to the lesser of 5% of tuition and fees or $100 will be charged students who receive Title IV financial assistance when a Title IV refund is made according to federal regulations regarding institutional refunds and repayment.

  For Summer session, refunds will be scheduled on a proportional basis. Refunds are made by mail only to the address shown on the students registration form.

  For additional information on how withdrawing from The Belanger School of Nursing affects financial aid recipients contact the Financial Aid Coordinator.

  If the student or parents wish to appeal the refund policy due to individual circumstances, they should contact:

  The Belanger School of Nursing, ATTN: Director
  650 McClellan Street, Schenectady, New York 12304