12 NCAC 09B .0606 APPLICATION PROCEDURES
(a) The chief academic officer of an institution will direct a letter to the Commission indicating an intent to seek certification.
(b) The Commission shall furnish the institution with an application form and a copy of the relevant procedures.
(c) The filing of an application seeking certification does not assume eventual certified status, nor should there be an implication that an official form of recognition or approval has been granted.
Note: An institution may publish the following statement:
"(NAME OF INSTITUTION)____________________________________
has applied for certification to the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission Program Evaluation Committee. At this time, certification has not been granted."
(d) Upon receipt of the application, the Program Evaluation Committee shall furnish the institution with a copy of the self‑evaluation report forms.
(e) The institution shall conduct its self‑study in accordance with the self‑evaluation report forms. Three procedural options exist for conducting the self‑study:
(1) An institution may choose to utilize, in conjunction with the self‑evaluation report forms, materials from recent Southern Association of Colleges and Universities accreditation efforts. The Program Evaluation Committee will take into account the age of these materials in its decision‑making. Following submission of these materials, site visitations may be conducted.
(2) Alternatively, anticipating an upcoming accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities, an institution may conduct the self‑study and submit it requesting tentative certification. If the Program Evaluation Committee determines the self‑study appears to meet certification criteria, the institution will be granted tentative certification.
(3) Alternatively, the entire process may be independent of the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities. The institution conducts its self‑study, submits the document and a site visit is conducted.
(f) The Program Evaluation Committee will review submitted materials for completeness and prima facie evidence of eligibility. If prima facie evidence of eligibility exists, the Program Evaluation Committee may direct the appointment of a visiting team and shall notify the institution. In the event that the Program Evaluation Committee determines a lack of prima facie evidence for eligibility, the institution shall be notified in writing by certified mail with return receipt requested.
(g) Site visitation may be conducted if prima facie evidence of eligibility exists. The site visit may be foregone when evidence clearly supports certification.
(h) An institution shall be notified in writing of the date its certification application is being considered by the Program Evaluation Committee and shall have the right to representation for the purpose of answering questions or clarifying issues under consideration.
(i) The Program Evaluation Committee will render a decision regarding certification at its next regularly scheduled meeting. An institution will be notified of such a decision within thirty days by certified mail with return receipt requested.
(j) In light of the program's announced objectives and standards and the report of the visiting team, the Program Evaluation Committee may recommend to the Education and Training Committee of the commission any of the following actions:
(1) certify or re‑certify with or without stipulations to include probation;
(2) defer action subject to conditions; or
(3) deny or revoke certification.
(k) In the case of disapproval an institution may appeal in accordance with the appeal procedures outlined in Rule .0608 of this Section. If no appeal is received, or if the appeal is denied, appropriate recommendations are forwarded to the Commission.
(l) The Education and Training Committee shall determine whether or not to recommend certification to the Commission based upon the report of the Program Evaluation Committee. An institution may appeal the Education and Training Committee's decision under the provisions of North Carolina General Statute 150B.
(m) When certification is awarded, the Commission shall notify the institution, program, and the public as follows:
(1) As soon as possible, the chairman of the Commission shall send a formal letter and certificate to the institution's chief executive officer, enclosing a copy of the Commission's decision.
(2) Data in the self‑evaluation report, the team report, and the supplementary reports are confidential and are not shared with the members of the North Carolina Criminal Justice Association, the press, or the public, except as may be required by government regulations. If data are used for statistical purposes, individual programs and schools shall not be identified with any particular data.
History Note: Authority G.S. 17C‑6(b)(10);
Eff. January 1, 1985;
Amended Eff. July 1, 1988; September 1, 1987; May 1, 1986;
Pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A, rule is necessary without substantive public interest Eff. May 25, 2019.