BILL REQ. #:  S-3323.1 

Read first time 01/12/12.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Development.

     AN ACT Relating to rights of higher education students involved in military service; and amending RCW 28B.10.270.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 28B.10.270 and 2004 c 161 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) A member of the Washington national guard or any other military reserve component who is a student at an institution of higher education and who is ordered for a period exceeding thirty days to either active state service, as defined in RCW 38.04.010, or to federal active military service has the following rights:
     (a) With regard to courses in which the person is enrolled, the person may:
     (i) Withdraw from one or more courses for which tuition and fees have been paid that are attributable to the courses. The tuition and fees must be credited to the person's account at the institution. Any refunds are subject to the requirements of the state or federal financial aid programs of origination. In such a case, the student shall not receive credit for the courses and shall not receive a failing grade, an incomplete, or other negative annotation on the student's record, and the student's grade point average shall not be altered or affected in any manner because of action under this item;
     (ii) Be given a grade of incomplete and be allowed to complete the course upon release from active duty under the institution's standard practice for completion of incompletes; or
     (iii) Continue and complete the course for full credit. Class sessions the student misses due to performance of state or federal active military service must be counted as excused absences and must not be used in any way to adversely impact the student's grade or standing in the class. Any student who selects this option is not, however, automatically excused from completing assignments due during the period the student is performing state or federal active military service. A letter grade or a grade of pass must only be awarded if, in the opinion of the faculty member teaching the course, the student has completed sufficient work and has demonstrated sufficient progress toward meeting course requirements to justify the grade;
     (b) To receive a refund of amounts paid for room, board, and fees attributable to the time period during which the student was serving in state or federal active military service and did not use the facilities or services for which the amounts were paid. Any refund of room, board, and fees is subject to the requirements of the state or federal financial aid programs of origination; and
     (c) If the student chooses to withdraw, the student has the right to be readmitted and enrolled as a student at the institution, without penalty or redetermination of admission eligibility, within one year following release from the state or federal active military service.
     (2)(a) A member of the Washington national guard or any other military reserve component who is a student at an institution of higher education and who is ordered for a period of thirty days or less to either active or inactive state or federal service and as a result of that service or follow-up medical treatment for injury incurred during that service, misses any class, test, examination, laboratory, or other event upon which a course grade or evaluation is based, is entitled to make up the class, test, examination, laboratory, or event without prejudice to the final course grade or evaluation.
     (b) If the faculty member teaching the course determines that the student has completed sufficient work and has demonstrated sufficient progress toward meeting course requirements to justify the grade without making up the class, test, examination, or other event, the grade may be awarded without the make up, but the missed class, test, examination, laboratory, or other event must not be used in any way to adversely impact the student's grade or standing in the class.
     (3) The protections in this section may be invoked as follows:
     (a) The person, or an appropriate officer from the military organization in which the person will be serving, must give written notice that the person is being, or has been, ordered to qualifying service; and
     (b) Upon written request from the institution, the person shall provide written verification of service.
     (((3))) (4) This section provides minimum protections for students. Nothing in this section prevents institutions of higher education from providing additional options or protections to students who are ordered to state or federal active military service.