Audit of Greenfield Community College

This is a Massachusetts State Auditor performance audit of Greenfield Community College covering July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017.

“In accordance with Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Office of the State Auditor has conducted a performance audit of Greenfield Community College (GCC) for the period July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017.”

The audit checked whether the college was following disability-related requirements, including parts of the Americans with Disabilities Act and state higher-education policy.

“In this performance audit, we examined GCC’s compliance with certain requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education’s Policy for Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity and Diversity for Community Colleges.”

Emergency plans that do not clearly address students with disabilities can put those students in danger during an evacuation.

“This places the health and wellbeing of these students at risk.”

If you are a student, parent, employee, or community member, this audit is about whether the college is prepared to help students with disabilities during emergencies.

“Establishing specific procedures for how to properly notify students with mobility, vison, or hearing issues and/or other disabilities of emergency situations, and how to properly assist these students in emergency evacuations, is consistent with the purposes of the ADA and therefore a best practice.”

The college had an evacuation plan, but it did not spell out how to help students with disabilities.

“Although the college had an emergency evacuation plan that discussed assisting students in need, it did not specifically discuss how to assist students with disabilities.”

After the audit, college management said it updated its emergency evacuation plan to include students with disabilities.

“GCC management has developed an updated emergency evacuation plan that takes into account the needs of students with disabilities.”

The audit found the college met the other disability-access areas it reviewed, but failed on the emergency evacuation planning question.

“Has GCC developed an emergency evacuation plan that takes into account the needs of students with various disabilities and made it known to all relevant parties?”

The ADA requires public institutions to change policies or procedures when needed so people with disabilities are not discriminated against.

“A public entity shall make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures when the modifications are necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability.”