PERMANENT RULES
EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD
Date of Adoption: October 3, 2000.
Purpose: Updating agency's physical address where it appears.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 490-105-040.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 28C.10.040.
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 00-16-127 on August 2, 2000.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0. Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.
October 4, 2000
Ellen O'Brien Saunders
Executive Director
OTS-4237.1
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 98-22-033, filed 10/29/98,
effective 11/29/98)
WAC 490-105-040
What does it take to obtain a private
vocational school license?
(See RCW 28C.10.050 and 28C.10.060.) An entity that wishes to operate a private vocational school must apply for a license on forms provided by the agency. If the agency determines an application is deficient, the applicant will be so notified. The applicant must correct the deficiencies within thirty days of notification. If that fails to occur, the application will be returned to the applicant. The license application fee will not be refunded. The agency's executive director or designee may deny a license application for just cause.
The application must include the following information attested to by the school's chief administrative officer:
(1) An identification of owners, shareholders, and directors.
(a) The complete legal name, current telephone number, and current mailing address of the owner;
(b) The form of ownership; e.g., sole proprietorship, partnership, limited partnership, or corporation;
(c) Names, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and prior school affiliations if any, of all individuals with ten percent or more ownership interest;
(d) A school that is a corporation or a subsidiary of another corporation must submit:
(i) Current evidence that the corporation is registered with the Washington secretary of state's office; and
(ii) The name, address and telephone number of the corporation's registered agent;
(e) "Ownership" of a school means:
(i) In the case of a school owned by an individual, that individual;
(ii) In the case of a school owned by a partnership, all full, silent and limited partners having a ten percent or more ownership interest;
(iii) In the case of a school owned by a corporation, the corporation, each corporate director, officer, and each shareholder owning shares of issued and outstanding stock aggregating at least ten percent of the total of the issued and outstanding shares;
(f) Schools under common ownership may designate a single location as the principal facility for recordkeeping via written notice to the agency.
(2) Financial statement.
(a) The school must submit information reflecting its financial condition at the close of its most recent fiscal year to demonstrate that it has sufficient financial resources to fulfill its commitments to students. The financial statement must be completed in a format supplied by the agency.
(b) If inadequate time exists to produce a financial statement in the interval between the ending date of the school's fiscal year and the due date of an application, the agency will adjust the school's license period to provide a reasonable interval.
(c) New schools must submit a proposed operating budget for the initial twelve months of operation rather than the financial statement described in (a) of this subsection. The proposed operating budget must be completed in a format supplied by the agency.
(d) New schools that have operated another business for at least one year, must submit, in addition to the proposed operating budget described in (c) of this subsection, a financial statement for that business. The financial statement must cover the existing business' most recently completed fiscal year and be prepared by a certified public accountant or be certified by the business' chief administrative officer.
(e) Owners of multiple schools may file financial information that consists of a single, consolidated financial statement and balance sheet for the corporation. The consolidated financial statement must be accompanied by data that documents total tuition earnings for each separate school under the corporation's ownership at the close of its most recent fiscal year. If historical data is not available, the data must project total tuition earnings for the school in its first or next completed twelve months of operation.
(3) Financial references.
(a) The school must furnish the names of at least one bank or other financial institution and two other entities that the agency may consult as financial references.
(b) A statement must be included authorizing the agency to obtain financial information from the references.
(4) A copy of the school's catalog. (See RCW 28C.10.050 (1)(c).) The school must publish a catalog or brochure that explains its operations and requirements. The catalog must be current, comprehensive, and accurate. The school must disclose the following in some combination of a catalog, brochure or other written material and furnish a copy of each to every prospective student prior to completing an enrollment agreement:
(a) Date of publication;
(b) Names of owners having a ten percent or more equity ownership and officers, including any governing boards, and the name and address of its parent corporation, if a subsidiary;
(c) Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the school's administrative offices and all auxiliary facilities;
(d) Names and qualifications of faculty. The list must be accurate as of the date of catalog publication. Any changes of faculty must be noted on a catalog errata sheet;
(e) The school calendar, including hours of operation, holidays, enrollment periods, and the beginning and ending dates of terms, courses, or programs as may be appropriate;
(f) Admission procedures including policies describing all prerequisites needed by entering students to:
(i) Successfully complete the programs of study in which they are interested; and
(ii) Qualify for the fields of employment for which their education is designed;
(g) A description of the placement assistance offered, if any. If no assistance is offered, the school must make that fact known;
(h) The school's policy regarding student conduct, including causes for dismissal and conditions for readmission;
(i) The school's policy regarding leave, absences, class cuts, makeup work, tardiness, and interruptions for unsatisfactory attendance;
(j) The school's policy regarding standards of progress required of the student. This policy must define the grading system, the minimum grades considered satisfactory, conditions for interruption for unsatisfactory progress, a description of the probationary period, if any, allowed by the school, conditions for reentrance for those students dismissed for unsatisfactory progress; and information that a statement will be furnished to the student regarding satisfactory or unsatisfactory progress;
(k) An accurate description of the school's facilities and equipment available for student use, the maximum or usual class size and the average student/teacher ratio;
(l) The total cost of training including registration fee, if any, tuition, books, supplies, equipment, laboratory usage, special clothing, student activities, insurance and all other charges and expenses necessary for completion of the program;
(m) A description of each program of instruction, including:
(i) Specific program objectives including the job titles for which the program purports to train;
(ii) The number of clock or credit hours of instruction, the method of instruction (e.g., correspondence, classroom, lab, computer assisted), and the average length of time required for successful completion;
(iii) If instruction is calculated in credit hours, the catalog must contain at least one prominent statement describing the contact hour conversion formula applied by the school; i.e., the number of contact hours applicable to each quarter or semester credit hour of lecture, laboratory/practicum, and/or internship/externship;
(iv) For the purpose of home study schools, instructional sequences must be described in numbers of lessons. "Home study school" means the instructional format of the school involves the sequential distribution of lessons to the student, who studies the material, completes an examination, and returns the examination to the school. The school then grades the examination (and, in some instances, provides additional comments and instruction), and returns the graded examination to the student along with the next set of instructional materials;
(n) The scope and sequence of courses or programs required to achieve the educational objective;
(o) A statement indicating the type of educational credential that is awarded upon successful completion;
(p) The school's cancellation and refund policy;
(q) The following statement must appear prominently on
either the first or last printed page or inside the front or back
cover: THIS SCHOOL IS LICENSED UNDER CHAPTER 28C.10 RCW; INQUIRIES OR COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS OR
ANY OTHER PRIVATE VOCATIONAL SCHOOL MAY BE MADE TO THE: WORKFORCE TRAINING AND EDUCATION
COORDINATING BOARD, ((BUILDING 17, AIRDUSTRIAL PARK)) 128 TENTH AVENUE S.W., P.O. BOX 43105, OLYMPIA,
WASHINGTON 98504-3105 (360/753-5673);
(r) The availability of financial aid, if any;
(s) Supplements or errata sheets for the catalog and other written materials related to enrollment must be filed with the agency prior to being used (see RCW 28C.10.110(2)):
(i) Supplements or errata sheets must be made an integral part of that publication;
(ii) The supplement or errata sheet must include its publication date;
(iii) In the event information on a supplement or errata sheet supplants information contained in the catalog, the insert must identify the information it replaces, including at the least an appropriate page reference.
(5) A copy of the school's enrollment agreement/contract. (See RCW 28C.10.050 (1)(d).) An enrollment agreement is any agreement that creates a binding obligation to purchase a course of instruction from a school. Each school must use an enrollment contract or agreement that includes:
(a) The school's cancellation and refund policy, in accordance with these rules, displayed in a type size no smaller than that used to meet any other requirements of this section;
(b) The following statement: THIS SCHOOL IS LICENSED UNDER CHAPTER 28C.10 RCW; INQUIRIES OR COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS OR ANY OTHER PRIVATE VOCATIONAL SCHOOL MAY BE MADE TO
THE: WORKFORCE TRAINING AND EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD, ((BUILDING 17, AIRDUSTRIAL PARK)) 128 TENTH
AVENUE S.W., P.O. BOX 43105, OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON 98504-3105 (360/753-5673);
(c) Information that will clearly and completely define the terms of the agreement between the student and the school, including at least the following:
(i) The name and address of the school and the student;
(ii) The program or course title as it appears in the school's catalog, date training is to begin, and the number of hours or units of instruction or lessons for which the student is enrolled;
(iii) An itemization of all charges, fees, and required purchases being incurred by the student or his/her sponsor in order to complete the training. The student enrollment agreement must also contain the methods of payment and/or payment schedule being established;
(iv) Language explaining that the agreement will be binding only when it has been fully completed, signed and dated by the student and an authorized representative of the school prior to the time instruction begins;
(d) A statement that any changes in the agreement will not be binding on either the student or the school unless such changes have been acknowledged in writing by an authorized representative of the school and by the student or the student's parent or guardian if he/she is a minor;
(e) A "NOTICE TO THE BUYER" section which includes the following statements in a position above the space reserved for the student's signature:
(i) "DO NOT SIGN THIS AGREEMENT BEFORE YOU READ IT OR IF IT CONTAINS ANY BLANK SPACES. THIS IS A LEGAL INSTRUMENT.
(ii) ALL PAGES OF THE CONTRACT ARE BINDING.
(iii) READ BOTH SIDES OF ALL PAGES BEFORE SIGNING.
(iv) YOU ARE ENTITLED TO AN EXACT COPY OF THE AGREEMENT, SCHOOL CATALOG AND ANY OTHER PAPERS YOU SIGN AND ARE REQUIRED TO SIGN A STATEMENT ACKNOWLEDGING RECEIPT OF THOSE.
(v) IF YOU HAVE NOT STARTED TRAINING, YOU MAY CANCEL THIS CONTRACT BY PROVIDING WRITTEN NOTICE OF CANCELLATION TO THE SCHOOL AT ITS ADDRESS SHOWN ON THE CONTRACT. THE NOTICE MUST BE POSTMARKED NOT LATER THAN MIDNIGHT OF THE FIFTH BUSINESS DAY (EXCLUDING SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS) FOLLOWING YOUR SIGNING THIS CONTRACT OR THE WRITTEN NOTICE MAY BE PERSONALLY OR OTHERWISE DELIVERED TO THE SCHOOL WITHIN THAT TIME. IN EVENT OF DISPUTE OVER TIMELY NOTICE, THE BURDEN TO PROVE SERVICE RESTS ON THE APPLICANT.
(vi) IT IS AN UNFAIR BUSINESS PRACTICE FOR THE SCHOOL TO SELL, DISCOUNT OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS CONTRACT OR PROMISSORY NOTE WITHOUT THE SIGNED WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE STUDENT OR HIS/HER FINANCIAL SPONSORS AND A WRITTEN STATEMENT NOTIFYING ALL PARTIES THAT THE CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY CONTINUES TO APPLY."
(f) Attached to each contract must be a form provided by the agency that contains statements relating to the student's rights, responsibilities, and loan repayment obligations; and the school's responsibility to counsel the student against incurring excessive debt;
(g) The school must provide the student a copy of the signed enrollment agreement.
(6) Information regarding the qualifications of administrative and instructional personnel. (See RCW 28C.10.050 and 28C.10.060.) The education and experience of administrators, faculty, and other staff must be adequate to insure students will receive educational services consistent with the stated program objectives.
(a) The school must file the qualifications of all affected individuals with the agency within thirty calendar days of their employment. The information must be submitted on forms provided by the agency.
(b) The school must establish and enforce written policies for the qualification, supervision, and periodic evaluation of administrators, faculty, and staff.
(c) School directors must have at least two years of experience in either school or business administration, teaching, or other experience related to their duties within the organization.
(d) Faculty who teach a course related to an occupation for which the student must subsequently be licensed or certificated must:
(i) Hold or be qualified to hold such a license or certificate and possess at least two years of work experience, postsecondary training or a combination of both in the subject they instruct; or
(ii) Possess current evidence of being qualified to teach that has been issued by a regulatory agency of this or another state.
(e) If the school uses teacher assistants, aides, or trainees, it must maintain policies governing their duties and functions. Such personnel may provide services to students only under the direct supervision of a qualified instructor. They may not act as substitutes for the instructor.
(f) Administrators, faculty, agents and other staff must be of good moral character and reputation. The agency may find that a person is not of good moral character and reputation if the person has been convicted of:
(i) Any felony within the prior seven years;
(ii) A misdemeanor which involved the illegal use, possession, or sale of a controlled substance; or
(iii) A misdemeanor that involved any sexual offense.
(g) If the person has been convicted of a felony, the agency will consider the relationship of the facts supporting the conviction to the performance of his or her occupational responsibilities with the licensed school and to that school's students.
(h) In making such determinations the agency will request a letter of recommendation from the employing school and may consider any other related materials submitted by the school and/or affected individual prior to making a finding under this section.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 28C.10.040(2). 98-22-033, § 490-105-040, filed 10/29/98, effective 11/29/98.]