Academic Policies

Grading
Grade points are numerical values that indicate the scholarship level of letter grades. Grade points are assigned on the following scale. A grade of 70 or above is required to pass a course.

Grade Description Grade Points
A Superior 100-90
B Good 89.99-80
C Average 79.99-70
D Poor 69.99-60
F Failure 59.99 and below
I Incomplete 0
W Withdrawal 0
ADW Administrative Withdrawal 0

Notification of Grades
Grades are available to students from their teachers at midterm and at the end of the course. Students receiving midterm grades below C should meet with their instructor immediately to seek ways to improve their standing in the course.

Final grades are recorded and available to students at the end of each semester or term.

Final Grade Appeals
Students have the right to appeal a final grade. Final grade appeals should be submitted as soon as possible. If an instructor is no longer available, the student may appeal to the LCS Executive Director. An appeal must state the reason for the appeal and the rationale for a grade change.

Class Attendance
Students are expected to attend all sessions of a course. In case of illness or other mitigating circumstances, students have the responsibility to contact their instructors. Make-up work is arranged at the instructor’s convenience.

Regular attendance in weekend classes is especially advised. Repeated failure to attend class may result in a student being withdrawn from class or failing the course. See explanation of No-Show Withdrawal (NSW) and Administrative Withdrawal (ADW).

Student Records Policies
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974:  This act establishes the right of students to inspect their educational records and limits the disclosure of those records to other individuals.

Transcript Requests
LCS will send official transcripts of a student’s academic record to other institutions only upon the student’s written request. Request transcripts here: http://www.penflorida.org/transcripts/

Student Records on Hold
LCS will not release the academic records of students who have outstanding financial obligations. Students who have been excluded from LCS for disciplinary reasons are prevented from enrolling in the program. The office may restrict a student who has not fulfilled a duly-established condition of registration.

Certificate Requirements
Students are responsible for completing the required courses for their chosen certificate.

Residency Requirement
Students who intend to earn a certificate from LCS and are transferring credits from other institutions must complete at least 25% of the course’s hours with LCS. Students applying for certificates requiring fewer than 120 clock hours may not use any transfer credits to fulfill program requirements.

Credit for Prior Learning
Students enrolled with LCS may be awarded credit based on prior learning in the following areas:

College Credits Earned at Other Institutions
A transfer student must submit to the LCS office transcripts from all colleges previously attended. LCS will grant credit for up to 15 hours of accepted coursework. Only course credit hours, not the grades associated with the credit, are transferable. Transfer grades are not included in computing GPA.

Transcripts of credits received from non-regionally accredited institutions are individually evaluated.

Credit by Evaluation
A student may request evaluation for college credit of on-the-job training and development courses, or of courses taken at a non-collegiate institution. A student may earn college credit through one or more of the following evaluation processes: Portfolio Evaluation, Military Evaluation, Evaluation of Foreign Credentials, and Evaluation of Certified Child Development Associate Credential. Standard credit fees may apply.

Military Credit
Credit toward graduation may be granted to a veteran for certain armed forces/military service experiences and armed forces schooling. All applications must be documented.

Fair Use & Academic Honesty (Plagiarism)

With so many resources available to you online, it is necessary to consider fair use. Without giving credit to your sources and using documentation in your writing, you are in danger of being academically dishonest which can lead to serious penalties, including dismissal from the program.

Academic honesty is expected of all students. Academic honesty is the use of one’s own thoughts, ideas, words, and materials in the writing of papers, taking of tests, completion of projects, and other classroom related activities. Students intentionally aiding other students in any infraction of the academic honesty policy are considered equally guilty.

Plagiarism is the most common cause of failed research papers. Any information that is borrowed from another source must be cited as a reference. Students are expected to give full credit for the use of other’s words or ideas. Whether done intentionally or unintentionally, the use of another’s words or ideas without acknowledgment constitutes plagiarism.

The common forms of plagiarism are:

  • The duplication of an author’s words without quotation marks and accurate references or footnotes.
  • The duplication of an author’s words or phrases with footnotes or accurate references, but without quotation marks.
  • The use of an author’s ideas in paraphrase without accurate references or footnotes.
  • Submitting a paper in which exact words are merely rearranged even though they are the same is misrepresentation. Misrepresentation is the submission of materials for evaluation that are not the student’s own.
  • Consequences
    First Offense
    Student will receive an “F” grade, or “0” for numerical computation for the assignment on which the cheating occurred.
  • The student’s name will be forwarded to the Executive Director.
    • The Executive Director will notify the student in writing of the consequences of this infraction.
    • Documentation will be provided establishing the facts and evidence of Academic Dishonesty.

Second Offense

  • The student’s name will be forwarded to the Executive Director.
    • The Executive Director will notify the student in writing of the consequences of this infraction.
    • Documentation will be provided establishing the facts and evidence of Academic Dishonesty.
  • Student will receive an “F” grade, or “0” for numerical computation for the entire course.
  • Student will be dropped from the course and barred from further participation

Non-Grade Designations

Administrative Withdrawal (ADW)
Students who have:

  • been continuously absent or inactive during the three weeks prior to midterm, or;
  • have completed less than 25% of required coursework,

will be issued a final grade of ADW by their instructor, unless the instructor has documentation that the student is actively pursuing the course, as evidenced by completed papers, exams, quizzes or projects.

A student who has legitimate reasons for such absences or progress must meet with the instructor no later than two weeks after the midterm date to request reinstatement. The instructor may recommend reinstatement after consulting with the student. A student who is reinstated after receiving an ADW may not elect to withdraw from the class at a later time.

Incomplete (I)
Students who have actively pursued a course and are passing the course, but have not completed the final examination and/or other specific course assignments, may be issued a grade of I by the instructor. To remove an “I” grade, a student must make arrangements with the instructor to complete the course work and/or to take the final examination by the mid-point of the following semester (excluding the summer term). If the instructor does not receive the coursework by this deadline, the “I” grade will automatically convert to an F grade. If the instructor is not available, the student should contact the department chairperson. A student who has an I grade may not re-register for that course. However, if the “I” grade is changed to a D or F grade, the student may then re-register once for the course.

No-Show Withdrawal (NSW)
Students who do not attend any of the first three class sessions will be withdrawn from the class by the instructor and issued an NSW. If they only attended one of the first three class sessions, they will be withdrawn and issued a NS1. Students who do not attend the first class session of a course, which meets only once per week, will be considered a no-show (NSW). Refunds will be issued based on the refund schedule listed in the Refund Policy. A student who has been issued an NSW/NS1 may be reinstated in the class at the instructor’s request if space is available.

Student Initiated Withdrawal (WTH)
A student may withdraw from a course prior to the fourth class if s/he has not already received an ADW, NSW, or NS1 from the instructor. A student initiated withdrawal must be requested on the official withdrawal form, which may be obtained in the LCS office or online at www.LCS.org.

Grade Improvement
Repeating a Course to Raise a Grade
A student who has received a D or F in a course may repeat the course once. Only the last grade earned will be calculated in the student’s grade point average, although both grades will appear on the student’s permanent academic record.

Repeatable Courses
Certain courses may be repeated more than once. All grades earned are counted in the student’s grade point average and all hours attempted including ADW’s and WTH’s are counted as registered hours to determine academic warning and exclude status.

Student Code of Conduct

The League of Christian Schools encourages a close and edifying relationship between faculty and students, one that will deepen the spiritual growth of each and stimulate a vigorous intellectual life in the community. In order to accomplish these aims, it is imperative that faculty, staff and students conduct themselves in a Christ-like and professional manner and maintain an exemplary and involved lifestyle. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to become involved in church and to attend church regularly.

LCS requires that faculty, staff and students refrain from the illegal use of drugs and the abuse of addictive substances controlled by law.

LCS also forbids the use of alcohol and tobacco on its campus and prohibits the abuse of these substances. The Apostle Paul exhorts the body of Christ that, if they truly loved their fellow man, they would set aside personal freedom by refraining from behavior that might be a stumbling block to weaker brethren. LCS encourages members to exercise personal responsibility and, guided by Paul’s admonition, appropriately set aside personal freedom and refrain from the use of alcohol and tobacco.

In order to help interpret the policy, the following guidelines are provided.

  1. The use, possession, distribution or sale of alcohol or tobacco on LCS premises, including at any official function, any event supported by League of Christian Schools funds or any event identified with or directly linked to the association, is prohibited.
  2. Any use of alcohol that results in a criminal violation, i.e., drunken driving, public nuisance, disorderly conduct, etc., is considered a substance abuse violation and will be dealt with through the disciplinary process.
  3. Any incident that occurs as a result of the use of alcohol that, in the judgment of the LCS Board and/or Executive Officers of the Peninsular Florida District Council, reflects negatively on the image of the association, will be considered a violation of the Student Code of Conduct and will be dealt with accordingly.
  4. Theft or misuse of property. No student shall steal, damage, take without authorization, or attempt to steal, damage, take or use without authorization property of another, nor shall he/she remove or attempt to remove property of another from the place or divert it from the use and/or place to which it was assigned. No student shall recklessly or knowingly help or assist another in stealing, damaging, taking without authorization, or attempting to steal, damage, or take without authorization property of another. Possession of another’s property knowingly and without permission is a violation of this regulation.
  5. Threats or violence to the health and safety of others. Engaging in any act, such as fighting, physical assault, unlawful detention, interference with the freedom of movement of another person, verbal abuse, threats, stalking, intimidation, harassment, coercion or any other conduct which endangers or has the reasonable potential to endanger the health or safety of the student, other members of the university community including oneself or visitors is prohibited.
  6. Abuse, hazing, harassment or intimidation. Harassing or threatening another person, including racial or sexual harassment or threats, is prohibited. Harassment includes, but is not limited to, striking, laying hands upon, threatening with violence, or offering to do bodily harm to another person, or other treatment of a demeaning, abusive, taunting, or alarming nature. It also includes obscene, abusive, or repetitive telephone calls, telephone messages, electronic mail, instant messages using electronic mail programs, or other obscene, abusive, or repetitive communications.
  7. Weapons possession. Firearms are defined as any gun, rifle, pistol or handgun designed to fire bullets, BBs, pellets, or shoot regardless of propellant used. Weapons include, but are not limited to, knives, razors, metal knuckles, hatchets, foils, blackjacks, nun chankas, bows and arrows or any explosive or incendiary devices. Exception to this policy will apply to sworn or authorized public safety personnel in the performance of their duties.
  8. Sexual misconduct. Disorderly conduct or lewd, indecent or obscene conduct or expression, involvement with pornography, premarital sex, adultery, homosexual conduct or any other conduct which violates Biblical standards, is prohibited.
  9. Profanity. Profane or obscene expressions including, but not limited to, speech, which violates accepted standards of decency and Biblical conduct is prohibited (except when used in an appropriate academic context).
  10. Lying. Making a false statement, which the maker knows to be false, or which is made with reckless disregard for the truth of the matter asserted is prohibited. Lying also includes any deliberate attempt to mislead or intentionally misrepresent class attendance or falsifying attendance reports.
  11. Any conduct deemed unlawful. Violations of any local, city, state or federal law, regardless of locality or jurisdiction, and regardless of whether there has been any trial and/or conviction for such conduct in a court of law, may also constitute a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. Conduct leading to arrest, indictment or conviction for violation of local, state, or federal law may result in disciplinary action.
  12. Miscellaneous. The foregoing infractions are not intended to constitute an all-inclusive list of offenses for which a student may be disciplined under the Student Code of Conduct. It is the intent, rather, to provide some examples of the types of behavior, which are punishable hereunder. Any misbehavior deemed by LCS to violate the spirit of this Code shall be dealt with as though it were expressly prohibited herein.

Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the Code. As such, students should be concerned for the conduct of their peers in accordance with Luke 17:3:

“If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.”

In like manner, if a student discovers a potential violation of the Student Code of Conduct, he or she should consider Matthew 18:15-17.

“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

Student Discipline Procedure
Violations of the Code should be referred to the instructor, or the LCS Executive Director. Violations that relate to academics will be handled by the instructor. Violations that relate to non-academic matters will be handled by the LCS Executive Director. The following procedural guidelines are to be followed for all such student violations:

  1. The Executive Director or the instructor meets with the student to discuss the suspected violation and come to an agreement or decision.
  2. The Executive Director or instructor advises the student, either orally or in writing, regarding the decision, which would be one of the following:
    1. Resolution – The issue is dropped or resolved with no further action taken.
    2. Warning – A written warning, specifying the unacceptable behavior and indicating what is expected, is placed in the student’s file as maintained in the LCS office. If an agreement is reached, the student will be asked to agree in writing to live within the framework of the agreement.
    3. Suspension – The student may be suspended from the program for a specified period of time. Suspension may begin at any time. The suspension will be noted in the student’s file as maintained in the LCS office. The student will be allowed to return upon approval.
    4. Dismissal – In severe situations, the student may be immediately dismissed. The student forfeits all privileges. Refunds are made in accordance with the refund policy and a         grade of AWD is recorded on the transcript for classes in which the student is enrolled. The student may reapply for readmission after one full academic year from the date of dismissal and may be readmitted.
  3. If the student feels that the agreement or decision made by the Executive Director or instructor is not just, he or she may submit a written appeal within 48 hours to the president of LCS. If the student appeals a dismissal decision, he or she may not attend class until the appeal has been heard.
  4. The president of LCS will appoint, within two weeks, a subcommittee of the Leadership Board, or Peninsular Florida District Council Executive Officers, to hear the appeal. The student will be notified in writing upon appointment of the subcommittee. After appointment, the subcommittee has 30 days to conduct a hearing. Continuances will be granted only under compelling circumstances at the approval of the president. The subcommittee may only recommend overturning the disciplinary decision if they determine that the decision was arbitrary, capricious, or out of harmony with the vision and mission of LCS. The subcommittee will forward their recommendation to the president within two weeks of the hearing. The student will then be notified in writing of the final disposition of the appeal.

Complaint procedure
All complaints and concerns are to be submitted to the Executive Director in letter format and must include the individual’s contact information, a detailed description of the complaint and if any attempts were made to resolve the matter. All submissions will be considered and addressed by the LCS Board of Trustees within thirty days of complaint receipt.

Please send letter by postal mail: LCS, 1437 E. Memorial Boulevard, Lakeland, FL 33802 or by email: info@ILCSonline.com