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Summary Suspension

  1. Summary suspension is a temporary exclusion from specified college facilities and denial of access to all activities or privileges for which a respondent might otherwise be eligible, while an investigation, disciplinary procedures, and/or an appeal are pending.
  2. The student conduct officer may impose a summary suspension if there is probable cause to believe, i.e., there are reasonable grounds for believing, that the respondent has committed misconduct under WAC 495C-121-050 and that either:
    1. The situation involves an immediate danger to the public health, safety, or welfare which requires immediate college action; or
    2. The student’s behavior poses an ongoing threat of substantial disruption of, or interference with, the operations of the college.
  3. A summary suspension shall be effective when the respondent receives written or oral notice of that suspension. If oral notice is given, a written notification must be served on the respondent within two business days of the oral notice. The written notification shall be entitled “Notice of Summary Suspension” and shall include:
    1. The reasons for imposing the summary suspension, including a description of the misconduct and specification of the provisions of WAC 495C-121-050 allegedly violated;
    2. The date, time, and location when the respondent must appear before the conduct review officer for a hearing on the summary suspension; and
    3. The conditions, if any, under which the respondent may physically access college facilities or communicate with members of the college community. If the respondent is prohibited from entering college facilities, he/she may be given a notice against trespass which warns that his/her privilege to enter college facilities has been withdrawn, subject to any specified exceptions such as an invitation to meet with the student conduct officer or conduct review officer or to attend a scheduled disciplinary hearing, and that he/she shall be considered to be trespassing and subject to arrest for criminal trespass for any violation.
  4. The hearing before the conduct review officer shall be scheduled as soon as practicable after service of the notice of summary suspension. If the respondent fails to appear at the scheduled time, the conduct review officer may order that the summary suspension remain in place. During the summary suspension hearing, the issues shall be:
    1. Whether the requirements under subsection (2) of this section are satisfied; and
    2. Whether the summary suspension should be continued pending the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings and/or should be less restrictive in scope.
  5. As soon as practicable following the hearing, the conduct review officer shall issue, and serve on the respondent and student conduct officer, a written decision which addresses the issues at the hearing. The conduct review officer shall also provide information about the decision, to the extent legally permissible under FERPA, to all persons and offices who may be bound or protected by it.
  6. The respondent may request a de novo review of the summary suspension hearing decision by the student conduct committee. The review will be scheduled promptly. Either party may request the review to be consolidated with any other disciplinary proceeding arising from the same matter.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 28B.50.140. WSR 14-11-070, § 495C-121-190, filed 5/19/14, effective 6/19/14.]