Petitions & Appeals

Faculty of Education

 

Refer to the link below for detailed information about the Faculty of Education Academic Petitions Process:

 
 
Petitions Process

The complete Undergraduate Academic Petitions Package can be found on the registrar’s website here.

Submit your petition to the Secretary of the Petitions Committee, Faculty of Education, Office of the Associate Dean, BEd Student Services, 128 Winters College.

The petition must be submitted in writing with the following information: your name, student number, the specifics of the petition and regulation you wish to have waived, relevant supporting documentation such as medical certificates, letters from employers, etc. (You are advised to seek advice from a Faculty member or the Petitions Committee Secretary in preparing your petition.)

The Petitions Committee will consider your petition, generally within fifteen days of receipt of the petition, pending availability of Committee members.

Only in exceptional circumstances will you be allowed to address the Committee and then, only at the invitation of the Chairperson, and only if both yourself and the other party involved are available to attend.

You will be informed in writing of the results of your petition within seven working days of the meeting, and it will be delivered by Special Delivery or Registered Mail. Allow two days for delivery.

If after the timelines have elapsed, you have still not been informed of the outcome of your petition you should contact the Secretary of the Petitions Committee. Information regarding your petition will not be released by phone.

Appeals Process

You can appeal a negative decision of the Petitions Committee, based on the following specific circumstances:

  • NEW EVIDENCE: information or documentation that is relevant but which you were not able to produce for the petitions review. Events that occur after faculty decision usually do not qualify as new evidence.
  • PROCEDURAL IRREGULARITY: evidence that the Faculty did not properly follow its procedures in the consideration of your case; they handled your case differently then other similar cases; there is evidence of obvious bias or prejudice in the handling of your case.

The appeal or notice of appeal must be filed within fifteen working days of the date you were informed of your petition decision.

Submit your appeal to the Office of the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs and Practicum (108 Winters College) for presentation to the Appeals Committee. The appeal must be submitted in writing with the following information: your name, student number, the specifics of the decision being appealed, the grounds upon which the appeal is based, and all evidence in support of the appeal.

Upon receipt, the Secretary of the Appeals Committee may solicit background information from various parties or may ask you for more specific documentation. You have the right to request access to all materials (except "third party documents") submitted and involved parties will be notified of this prior to submission of documentation. You are also allowed one written rebuttal to material submitted prior to the meeting and will be given at least one week's notice prior to the Appeal Hearing in order to prepare. All written materials, with exception of your written rebuttal, must be in the file two days prior to the meeting.

Once complete, your appeal will normally be considered at the next meeting of the Appeals Committee. If the hearing is deferred to get more information, you will be informed of such a decision.

You have the right to be present at the Appeals meeting for the purpose of presenting your appeal orally and also to answer Committee questions. Discussion of the decision and the vote will be taken in camera.

Any member of the Committee with a conflict of interest shall declare it at the beginning of the proceedings, and absent themselves from the part of the hearing when the decision is made.

Third Party Documentation

In certain instances "third party documentation" will be requested by the Committee, such as medical reports, or reports from the Counseling Centre. Under such circumstances you will be asked to choose between the following options:

  • Such documents shall be requested and the concerns of the third party re:confidentiality shall be honoured; or,
  • Such documentation shall be requested only if the third party permits such documents to be open to you, should neither option be acceptable to you, the Committee will remind you of your right to go ahead with or withdraw your appeal/petition on the understanding that the Committee will not proceed in requesting the third party documents,

If you choose option A, you will need to sign a statement of conditions, which will be placed in your file. The request for information will be forwarded to the third party with a cover letter explaining the Committee's policy on confidentiality. The third party will be asked to indicate whether or not the document is to be kept confidential and their wishes shall be honoured.

If you select option B, the third party shall be contacted regarding their position on confidentiality. If they desire confidentiality, the documents shall not be requested and a memo stating the reasons for the absence of the documentation shall be placed in your petition/appeal file. If the third party is fine with the documentation being open to you then it will be requested and placed in your file.

Grade Reappraisal

A candidate in a pre-service or in-service course may request a reappraisal of a grade by making a formal request to the Associate Dean of the respective Department, within fourteen days of the release of the final grade report. The request must be in writing and should state clearly why you believe that the grade should be re-evaluated. Where written work is to be reappraised, they will only accept the original version handed in to, and marked by, the instructor. The Associate Dean may seek the advice of independent reviewers and should consult with the Course Director involved. In the case of a practicum grade being reassessed the host teacher or adjunct professor may also be consulted before any grade change is made.

Example of a request for a grade reappraisal

"I am petitioning for a grade reappraisal of an assignment in ED 0000.00, which I completed in the fall/winter semester 2003/04."

Your request for reappraisal should include the following information and documentation:

  • Name of the Course Director of the course in question
  • A copy of the course outline
  • Any handouts regarding completion times for the assignment being reassessed
  • The original copy of the assignment (the grade will be removed before the assignment is read by another professor).

If the reassessment is for a practicum grade, also include the name of the Adjunct Professor, the Host Teacher or Host Teacher with special responsibilities, and all Adjunct Professor and Course Director written evaluations.

Deferred Or Aegrotat Standing

Deferred Standing is a request for additional time to complete course work after the published deadline for submission of term work, or to postpone an exam. The deadline for completion of term work is usually the same as the first day of exams. For most departments, deferred standing is granted due to illness or misfortune and will require documentation as proof of your situation.

While applying for deferred standing the University assumes that you are continuing to complete the work. Using the standard Deferred Standing Agreement (DSA) Form, it is your responsibility to make arrangements with the course director to complete the course and file the form with the appropriate departmental/unit office by the deadline specified on the form. Course directors have the option not to consider requests for deferred standing; in such cases you must file a petition with the relevant Faculty-level committee for consideration within the established deadline. DSA forms must be handed in with a Course Performance Summary Form, which also needs to be completed by your professor.

You will often find that if you are applying for deferred standing you should apply for a few of your courses as opposed to just one. First, if you need the time then you should take it. Trying to push yourself at a time when you are already under stress never makes sense. Also, if it is just for one course it begins to look like you just didn't do your work in that course. Document well and ask for what you need.

There are certain things that will help you in applying for deferred status:

  • Your professor supports the application.
  • You have been active in the course and have good attendance and record of completing work prior to the situation causing your deferred standing application.
  • The cause of your application is well documented.
  • It is your first time asking for deferred status.
  • The period of time of your hardship is clearly documented.

Aegrotat Standing, from the Latin for "she/he is ill", excuses students from completing the required work for their studies, and AEG is entered on transcripts instead of a grade. Aegrotat standing is very rarely granted in any but the last year of a program, and even then only in the most exceptional of cases, such as a terminal illness.

Process For Reaching A Deferred Standing Agreement

Deferred Standing must be agreed upon for reports, assignments, essays, tests, final exams and other work assigned in the course, but may not be used for supplementary work, or assignments that are outside the formal marking scheme announced in class. There is no provision for rewriting a final exam to improve a final grade. The Course Director must agree that the circumstances warrant deferred standing. You must come to an agreement with your Course Director as to when the due date is for outstanding work.

If the faculty member does not agree to approve the deferred agreement form, or if you require an extension to an original deferral, then you must file a formal petition.

Petitions relating to enrolment status or academic standing must be submitted within thirty days of the release of final grade reports for the session. Such petitions may be considered for a period of up to one year if they are based on special circumstances.This petition must be submitted to the Student Client Services Office and should include the Undergraduate Academic Petition Form, your written petition letter, and a Student Course Performance Summary Form. All of the above named forms are available at the Registrar's Office.

DEADLINES: Requests for deferred standing must be made within one week following a missed examination or the last day to submit course work. This must allow enough time for grading to be completed and submitted before faculty submission deadlines.

Sample Petitions Letter

Current Date

Petitions Committee,

Faculty of ____ Room # and Building,

York University 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3

Dear Members of the (Petition/Appeal) Committee:

I am writing this letter in order to petition for (state the regulation that you are petitioning) in (course name, number, tutorial/lab, term) based on the following grounds (compassion, medical, extenuating circumstances). My petition makes references to the following supporting documents (list them in order):

The circumstances surrounding my petition are (describe your situation in as great detail as possible, outlining everything from beginning to end, using specific dates). Make it overtly obvious as to how the circumstances have affected your academics. Refer to your evidence and use it to strengthen your case. (Note: this information is kept confidential.)

As a result of this situation (summarize your arguments), I would appreciate your approval of my petition.

Thank you for your kind attention to this matter,

Your Name

Student Number

Mailing Address

Sample Senate Appeals Letter

Current Date

Student Name

Student Number

Home Faculty

Mailing Address

Telephone Number/E-mail Address

If you have missed the application deadline, state why that deadline should be waived and provide supporting documentation. Explain clearly what Faculty Committee decision you are appealing, what you are asking SAC to do for you, and what the grounds are for your appeal (new evidence or procedural irregularity). Provide the new evidence and explain why you were unable to provide it an earlier stage in the process. Or provide evidence of which procedure was not followed correctly. State whether or not you will attend the hearing if leave to appeal is granted, and whether you will bring a representative.

Example

I am appealing the decision of the Faculty of _ on (date of decision letter) denying my request for (retroactive withdrawal/ deferral of examinations/ waiver of debarment, etc.)I was unable to meet the 30-day deadline for appealing because (state reasons clearly and provide documentation to establish a case of ‘special circumstance’).The grounds for my appeal are (new evidence: medical note that I was unable to obtain previously due to ..., or procedural irregularity: the Faculty did not follow the procedure as stated in the undergraduate calendar, pg. 72 etc. ...)

I am attaching a (medical form for .../ death certificate for ... / travel documents showing that ...) I would like SAC to (grant retroactive withdrawal / allow me to repeat AS/ECON XXXX, etc.) If leave to appeal is granted (I will not be able to attend / I would like to attend the hearing.)

Sincerely,

Signature