I am on the RN program waitlist at spokane community college. I signed up for the waitlist before another girl, and she got into the fall program and I am still number 115 on the waiting list. I think this is unfair and also she is philipino/hawaian. I think they favored a certain race. What if I sue this college?
Already Tried: I called the curriculum advisor and all she could tell me that I am placed correctly on the wait list, she couldn't tell me anything else. I emailed the president of education and learning and she sent some guy to call me to assure me I am placed correctly on the waitlist.
Good afternoon,I'm sorry to hear of the situation.Public and private schools must all abide by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.Racial discrimination is illegal and you have the right to file a formal complaint. You may file your formal complaint with the US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights that serves the state in which the alleged discrimination occurred. Your complaint must be filed within 180 days of the date of the alleged discriminatory act.Here is a link to the Department's office website which explains the complaint process:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/qa-complaints.html
Good morning,
I’m disheartened to see that you rated my assistance to you as negative (the first or second star/face). How may I better answer your question for you? I invite you to ask any additional question that you may need to, for clarification of your issue.
Please recognize that the rating system only gives me credit for working with you when you click one of the 3 stars/faces on the right (positive rating). Also, kindly rate me based solely on my assistance to you in understanding the law, and not based on whether my answer is what you were hoping to hear. I have no control over the how the law impacts your particular situation, and I trust that you can understand how it would be unfair for me to be punished by a (negative rating) ----the first 2 stars/faces----for having been honest with you about the law.
Doug
I was wondering what would happen if I do the formal complaint on the school or even sue. Are they going to kick me out of the school? How much can I get if I pursue a lawsuit? If I do the complaint will they do what I want?
Good afternoon,Honestly, I don't have a crystal ball. I am just an experienced attorney---nothing more. I have no way to tell you what will happen---only what may happen.If that person was let in and you were not strictly based on her race/ethnicity/national origin---presumably the Department of Education will do something about that. I have seen cases where the school then let the complainant---you---into the program.They would be fools to let you into school and then kick you out because you complained. That would be retaliation and is specifically against the law. If you don't file the complaint you will be guaranteed that they won't do as you want. Only if you file the complaint and the incident is investigated and it is found that you were discriminated against will there be a likelihood that the university will admit you in at this point---unless they happen to have an additional 115 openings in the near future.If you want to file suit, be sure to retain a local Discrimination Law attorney to assist you, as pursuing a lawsuit in federal court is not an easy task.You have really nothing to lose by filing the complaint with the DOE, and everything to gain.You may reply back to me again, using the Continue the Conversation link, if you have additional questions. Don not use the rating chart to reply to me. That is for your use when we are done with the conversation.Please recognize that the rating system only gives me credit for working with you when you click one of the 3 stars/faces on the right (positive rating). Also, kindly rate me based solely on my assistance to you in understanding the law, and not based on whether my answer is what you were hoping to hear.I wish you the best in 2012,Doug
Experience: I am an attorney with nearly 3 decades of experience in a wide variety of legal areas, including Educational Law.