Palm Beach State College Board Procedure

Title: Accessibility and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Procedures

Policy Number: 6Hx-18-3.42P

Based on Policy: 6Hx-18-3.42

Legal Authority: Section 504 Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; as amended in 2008; F.S. 1007.264; F.S. 1007.265; F.S. 1000.05; F.S. 1001.64; F.S. 1001.65; Fla. F.A.C. 6A – 10.041; Fla. F.A.C. 6A-19.002

Effective Date: 8/11/2025

The following information is a general overview of substitution practices and procedures. These guidelines are provided to assist the student in his/her understanding of the substitution process.

I. Procedures governing waivers and substitutions of admission and graduation requirements for students with disabilities are established by the Florida State Legislature (§1007.264, F.S., §1007.265, F.S., and §1004.91), State Board of State Colleges, and the Palm Beach State College District Board of Trustees Policy (6Hx-18-3.42).

II. Requests for waivers and substitutions, including exemptions from TABE requirements, are reviewed by a college-wide committee appointed by the President. The committee is composed of faculty, staff, and a Center for Student Accessibility (CSA) representative. Specifically for students with disabilities, the President will appoint an Academic Substitution Committee, which will include a student services administrator, a faculty member, a CSA representative, and two other professional personnel. This committee will review substitution requests, identify reasonable substitutions, and make individual decisions. The committee will meet at least three times per academic year, once each academic term.

III. To maintain objectivity and fairness, students do not appear in person before the committee: rather, their petition is presented by the campus disability advisor. Each student’s petition is considered on a case-by-case basis.

IV. Petitions must include: (1) appropriate documentation of the disability, which must be completed by a qualified professional; for learning disabilities documentation from a qualified medical professional is required; (2) an updated transcript; and (3) may include additional information regarding the student’s secondary and postsecondary academic history, including subject area/test attempts, accommodations used, and input from faculty and/or staff. Input from instructional faculty and staff may include student’s performance, effort, attendance, and a recommendation from a CSA campus advisor.

Eligible students must formally submit a written request for a substitution and/or college preparatory exemption to their campus Center for Student Accessibility office, along with documentation of the disability and evidence that the failure to meet the requirement is related to the disability.
Students may appeal a substitution denial or a determination of ineligibility to the Vice President of Academic Affairs, who will review the case and make a recommendation to the President. This appeal must be initiated within 45 days of the students' notification of the Committee's decision.

V. Colleges in the Florida State College system are required by Rule 6A-10.041 to accept all substitutions previously granted by a state postsecondary institution. Every consideration will be given to substitutions previously granted by private and/or out-of-state institutions. However, Palm Beach State College cannot guarantee or mandate that substitutions granted here will be accepted by out-of-state postsecondary institutions.

VI. In accordance with Rule 6A-10.041(6), the college shall maintain and report records on the number of students granted substitutions by type of disability, the substitutions provided, the substitutions identified as available for each documented disability and the number of requests for substitutions which were denied. The college shall report such information to the Department of Education, Division of Florida Colleges, once a year by July 1.

VII. If a student with a disability attempts a required course and receives an unsatisfactory grade in the course, the grade the student receives in an approved substitute course will be used in place of the grade of the required course in computing the student's Grade Point Average (GPA). Only the last attempt of the substitute course will be used in the GPA calculation, regardless of when it is taken. A student who receives a waiver or substitution for a course in which he or she is currently enrolled will be permitted to officially withdraw from the course without penalty even if the regular deadline for withdrawal has passed.

VIII. The mechanism for the making of designated substitutions will be made known to affected people in the College catalog, Student Handbook, and through the Center for Student Accessibility (CSA) office (printed materials and webpage).