What is an incident report?
Incident Report
An incident report is not a “write-up.” The incident report is a legal and official college document describing in detail the facts of an incident so that the appropriate college officials may work to determine levels of responsibility. Students often perceive being “written up” as a punishment – it is not. It is simply an act of documentation. All students are afford their full due process rights and are given ample opportunity to present their perspectives to the appropriate college staff. The incident report may or may not lead to official judicial action on the part of the college, and if such action occurs sanctions may or may not be imposed. It is important that students understand that the incident report is a starting point for communication with college staff about a situation.
When creating community standards, some issues will be treated as “black and white” and predetermined sanctions will be issued if a student is found responsible of violating these community standards. For example, the college has adopted a “zero tolerance” policy toward drugs on campus there all responsible students will face the same sanction. However, most issues are treated as “gray” and the sanctions may vary greatly depending on the circumstances surrounding the behavior. As much as possible, the college seeks to issue developmental sanctions that are educational and promote personal and community growth as opposed to be purely punitive sanctions that serve only to punish.
All judicial information and documentation is considered part of the students’ “record” therefore its contents are protected by FERPA and are confidential.
An incident report is not a “write-up.” The incident report is a legal and official college document describing in detail the facts of an incident so that the appropriate college officials may work to determine levels of responsibility. Students often perceive being “written up” as a punishment – it is not. It is simply an act of documentation. All students are afford their full due process rights and are given ample opportunity to present their perspectives to the appropriate college staff. The incident report may or may not lead to official judicial action on the part of the college, and if such action occurs sanctions may or may not be imposed. It is important that students understand that the incident report is a starting point for communication with college staff about a situation.
When creating community standards, some issues will be treated as “black and white” and predetermined sanctions will be issued if a student is found responsible of violating these community standards. For example, the college has adopted a “zero tolerance” policy toward drugs on campus there all responsible students will face the same sanction. However, most issues are treated as “gray” and the sanctions may vary greatly depending on the circumstances surrounding the behavior. As much as possible, the college seeks to issue developmental sanctions that are educational and promote personal and community growth as opposed to be purely punitive sanctions that serve only to punish.
All judicial information and documentation is considered part of the students’ “record” therefore its contents are protected by FERPA and are confidential.