Spring Ridge Academy students gathered in a tree shaded courtyard eating lunch and socializing

STUDENT RIGHTS

A Caring, Supportive Campus

We believe that students should not just attend any school–they should attend the right school. We work with students and families to make sure that Spring Ridge Academy is the best place for them while also ensuring they are given the best services in a supportive environment. Students have many rights at Spring Ridge Academy. We take these rights seriously because everyone deserves a safe space where they are treated with respect.

Your Rights

All Spring Ridge Academy clients shall be afforded the following basic rights: 

  1. A resident is treated with dignity, respect, and consideration;  
  2. The program environment of care supports the positive self-image of the resident; 
  3. A resident is not subjected to:  
    1. Abuse;  
    2. Neglect;  
    3. Exploitation;  
    4. Coercion;  
    5. Manipulation;  
    6. Sexual abuse;  
    7. Sexual assault;  
    8. Seclusion;  
    9. Restraint, if not necessary to prevent imminent harm to self or others;  
    10. Retaliation for submitting a complaint to the Department or another entity;  
    11. Misappropriation of personal and private property by a behavioral health residential facility’s personnel members, employees, volunteers, or students;  
    12. Discharge or transfer, or threat of discharge or transfer, for reasons unrelated to the resident’s treatment needs, except as established in a fee agreement signed by the resident or the resident’s representative; or  
    13. Treatment that involves the denial of:  
      1. Food,  
      2. The opportunity to sleep, or;  
      3. The opportunity to use the toilet;  
  4. Except as provided in (3.f.i.ii.iii.) below, and unless restricted by the resident’s representative, is allowed to:  
    1. Associate with individuals of the resident’s choice, receive visitors, and make telephone calls during the hours established by the behavioral health residential facility;  
    2. Have privacy in correspondence, communication, visitation, financial affairs, and personal hygiene; and  
    3. The use of bulletin boards; and 
    4. Mail and telephone usage as defined by Spring Ridge Academy policy; and 
    5. Unless restricted by a court order, send and receive uncensored and unopened mail; and  
  5. If the therapist, at the direction of the clinical director, determines that a resident’s treatment requires the behavioral health residential facility to restrict the resident’s ability to participate in the activities in (3.a.b.c.d.), the therapist (under direction of the clinical director) shall comply with the following requirements:  
    1. Document a specific treatment purpose in the resident’s medical record that justifies restricting the resident from the activity that includes a time frame in the care plan, and the restriction is reduced or eliminated as soon as it is no longer therapeutically indicated, and 
    2. Inform the resident or resident’s representative of the reason why the activity is being restricted, and 
    3. Inform the resident or resident’s representative of the resident’s right to file a complaint and the procedure for filing a complaint. 
    4. Keep and use personal clothing and possessions, unless this infringes on others’ rights or is therapeutically contraindicated (personal items belonging to individuals served are taken and secured by staff only when therapeutically indicated); 
    5. Uniforms provided are suitable to the season, age appropriate, and socially appropriate (that is, similar to that worn by persons in the external environment), and sufficient to permit laundering, cleaning, and repair; 
  6. A resident or the resident’s representative:  
    1. Except in an emergency, either consents to or refuses treatment;  
    2. May refuse or withdraw consent to treatment before treatment is initiated, unless the treatment is ordered by a court according to A.R.S. Title 36, Chapter 5, is necessary to save the resident’s life or physical health, or is provided according to A.R.S. § 36-512 
    3. Except in an emergency, is informed of proposed treatment alternatives to the treatment, associated risks, and possible complications;  
    4. Is informed during orientation of the following:  
      1. The resident complaint process; and  
      2. The program rules; 
      3. The name of the staff member(s) who has primary responsibility for care, treatment, or services; 
      4. Expectations, responsibilities, policy and procedures, consequences, meeting financial commitments, related to care, treatment, or services; 
      5. Except as otherwise permitted by law, provides written consent to the release of the resident’s:  
        1. Medical records, and  
        2. Financial records 
      6. Parent(s) or legal guardian(s) may choose to delegate decision making to someone legally appointed, if the parent or legal guardian is unable to make decisions about a residents care, treatment, or services, or chooses to delegate decision making to another, the program involves the legally appointed decision-maker in making these decisions; 
      7. When the legally appointed decision-maker is responsible for making care, treatment, or services decisions, the program will respect the legally appointed decision-makers right to refuse care, treatment, or services on behalf of the resident served, in accordance with law and regulation. 
      8. The resident served has the right to involve their family in decisions about care, treatment, or services.  When there is a legally appointed decision-maker, the resident can exercise the right to involve the family on behalf of the resident served, in accordance with law and regulation. 
      9. Is provided the right to request the opinion of a consultant (at the expense of the resident’s representative); 
      10. Is provided the right to request an internal review of the plan of care, treatment, or services; 
      11. Is informed about unanticipated events that relate to death or serious physical or psychological injury considered reviewable by The Joint Commission; 
      12. Parent(s) or legal guardian(s) or legally appointed decision maker is responsible for issuance of any health care directives (preferences for health care during a serious illness) for resident; 
  7. A resident has the following rights:  
    1. Not to be discriminated against based on race, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, or diagnosis;  
    2. To receive treatment that:  
      1. Supports and respects the resident’s individuality, choices, strengths, and abilities, cultural and personal values, beliefs, and preferences;  
      2. Supports the resident’s personal liberty and only restricts the resident’s personal liberty according to a court order, by the resident’s or resident’s representative’s general consent, or as permitted in this Chapter; and  
      3. Is provided in the least restrictive environment that meets the resident’s treatment needs;  
      4. In a manner tailored to meets the needs of a resident with language, vision, speech, hearing or cognitive impairments, and inability to understand; 
      5. To receive privacy in treatment and care for personal needs, including the right not to be fingerprinted, photographed, or recorded without consent, except:  
        1. A resident may be photographed when admitted to a behavioral health residential facility for identification and administrative purposes;  
        2. For a resident receiving treatment according to A.R.S. Title 36, Chapter 37; or  
        3. For video recordings used for security purposes that are maintained only on a temporary basis;  
      6. Not to be prevented or impeded from exercising the resident’s civil rights unless the resident has been adjudicated incompetent or a court of competent jurisdiction has found that the resident is unable to exercise a specific right or category of rights; and 
      7. The right to participate in personal spiritual time on-campus during scheduled weekly spiritual or free-time periods; 
      8. The right to off-campus pastoral services during family visits; 
      9. To review, upon written request, the resident’s own medical record according to A.R.S. §§12-229312-2294, and 12-2294.01 
      10. To be provided locked storage space for the resident’s belongings while the resident receives treatment;  
      11. To have opportunities for social contact and daily social, recreational, or rehabilitative activities;  
      12. To be informed of the requirements necessary for the resident’s discharge or transfer to a less restrictive physical environment;  
      13. To receive a referral to another health care institution if the behavioral health residential facility is unable to provide physical health services or behavioral health services for the resident;  
      14. To participate or have the resident’s representative participate in the development of or decisions concerning treatment, including the right to access and request amendment to resident’s health information and to obtain information on disclosures of this information;  
      15. The program provides the resident served or resident’s representative with the information about the outcomes of care, treatment, or services that the individual needs in order to participate in current and future behavioral health care decisions. 
      16. To participate or refuse to participate in research or experimental treatment;  
      17. To receive assistance from a family member, representative, or other individual in understanding, protecting, or exercising the resident’s rights. 
        1. If the resident served is disoriented or lacks capacity to understand rights at admission, s/he is informed again when s/he is able to understand. 
      18.  Provided an environment that minimized distractions that interfere with therapeutic activities, promotes awareness of day, time, and season. 

Formal Complaint Policy

To ensure that all students receive fair and equitable treatment during their enrollment at Spring Ridge Academy.  The formal complaint procedure will be explained to the student and parent within 72 hours of admission. 

Policy 

Spring Ridge’s policy is to investigate and resolve any reported allegations to protect students’ rights and prevent abuse, neglect, or mistreatment (see “Statement of Resident Rights” above). 

If a student, family members, or a legal guardian feels that a student has been treated unfairly or shown disrespect or was subject to misconduct by a staff member, student(s) or other parties within Spring Ridge Academy, they may file a formal complaint by filling out a formal complaint form, or writing on any paper available to them, and turning it into the appropriate department director. If a complaint is made verbally, the person receiving the complaint will ask them to write the complaint down. To file an anonymous or private complaint, please use the locked complaint box outside the administrative office. All complaints from this box will be received by the Director of Operational Excellence and distributed to the appropriate department director. If you are unsure who to turn your complaint into, please put the complaint in the box or to the Director of Operational Excellence who will determine the best person the manage the complaint.  

All formal complaints will be initially reviewed by the Department Director, who will answer the formal complaint within 72 hours (about 3 days). 

If the formal complaint response is not satisfactory to the client, the next level of appeal will be the Clinical Director, who will respond to the client within 72 hours of receiving the formal complaint. In the absence of the Clinical Director, the Director of Operational Excellence, Program Director, or Executive Director is responsible for answering the formal complaint and conducting the investigation. 

If the formal complaint response is not satisfactory at this level to the client, the next level of appeal will be the Executive Director, Suzie Courtney, who will convene a Leadership Team meeting to review the Formal Complaint and respond within 72 hours of receiving the complaint. If the response is still not satisfactory, the client may appeal to the Arizona Department of Health Services using their online form at https://app3.azdhs.gov/PROD-AZHSComplaint-UI. 

Department Director  Responsible For Complaints Regarding 
Residential Director,
  • Community Coaches  
  • Medical staff  
  • Community Life Directors  
  • Contracted activity leaders 
Clinical Director,  
  • Therapists 
  • Contracted Psychiatrist 
Academic Director,
  • Teachers 
Director of Operational Excellence,  
  • Kitchen staff 
  • Administrative staff  
  • Executive Director 
  • Program Director 
  • Contracted facilities management staff  

Executive Director, 

Program Director,  

  • All department directors, except Executive Director and Program Director.  

Investigation Procedure 

The following general procedure will be used for all situations in which misconduct affecting student welfare has been alleged. This covers, for example, allegations of student-to-student or staff-to-student sexual misconduct, giving drugs to students, physical or emotional abuse of any kind toward students, student neglect, and major offenses by staff on the premises observed by students or another staff member, which could potentially (directly or indirectly) affect student welfare. 

The staff member(s) or student(s) in question who constitutes an immediate threat or alleged threat to the student(s) will immediately separate from the student(s) pending further investigation. The staff member in question may be placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. 

The investigation will take place under the direction of the Clinical Director.  The department director will notify the staff member(s) of the complaint. The Clinical Director and an assigned Leadership Team member will privately interview all potential witnesses or any students or staff members with any information that may shed light on the issue. All parties involved in the report of misconduct are to produce a written statement documenting the circumstances of the allegations in as much detail as possible. 

The student’s parents or legal guardian(s) and referring consultant (if applicable) will be notified by the primary therapist within 24 hours of receipt of the complaint. In the absence of the primary therapist, the Clinical Director will do the notifications. 

After conducting the investigation, the Clinical Director will attempt to resolve the allegations. If a determination is made that child abuse or other delinquent/criminal acts appear to have occurred, the proper authority and/or state agency is notified by the Clinical Director. 

If the investigation substantiates the written allegations, the employee(s) will be terminated or otherwise counseled according to the severity of the allegation.  

Policy Against Discrimination 

Spring Ridge Academy prohibits discriminating in any way against a student by whom, or on whose behalf, a complaint has been submitted, or who has participated in a complaint investigation process whether investigated internally, by the Arizona Department of Health Services, or by any other legal entity. 

Spring Ridge Academy will not discharge or discriminate against any personnel member who assists in the investigation of such a complaint, whether investigated internally, by the Department of Health Services, or by any other legal entity.  

Spring Ridge Academy does not discriminate by race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, and national or ethnic origin or military status in the administration of our hiring practices, educational policies, admissions policies, and other school-administered programs.  

Submit a Complaint

Please provide as much information for your complaint to help us investigate. You may enter an anonymous complaint; however, if you would like to receive the complaint investigation results, please provide your name and contact information.
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