Policies

AAC does not charge a fee to transfer from one class to another. If the class in which you transfer costs more, you must pay the balance. A credit will be issued for the difference if the class tuition is less. Transferring is only allowed up to the second week of classes.

1. Statement of ADA Compliance and Inclusion

Abington Art Center (“Art Center”) is committed to providing an inclusive, welcoming, and accessible environment for all children in our community. In accordance with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA), our policy is to ensure that no qualified individual is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, our programs on the basis of a physical or mental disability.

The Art Center does not discriminate based on disability during enrollment, and welcomes the opportunity to provide reasonable modifications to our policies, practices, and procedures to ensure all students have an equal opportunity to enjoy and learn from our art classes/programs.

2. Requesting Accommodations (The Interactive Process)

To help us support each child’s success, we encourage parents and guardians to disclose any physical, medical, learning, or behavioral disabilities during the enrollment process.

Upon disclosure, Art Center staff will engage in a collaborative, interactive dialogue with the family. The goal of this process is to identify and implement Reasonable Modifications tailored to the student’s needs. Reasonable modifications may include, but are not limited to:

• Providing visual or written checklists alongside spoken instructions.
• Allowing scheduled sensory or physical movement breaks.
• Adjusting seating arrangements to reduce distractions.
• Permitting a parent-provided therapeutic aide, behavioral technician, or personal care assistant to attend the class/program with the student.

3. Legal Boundaries and Limitations of Accommodations

While the Art Center will make every effort to accommodate all students, the Art Center will not provide accommodations that (1) change the essential nature of our art education programs (e.g., changing a group art class or camp program into a one-on-one therapy session, or requiring an instructor to cease teaching the rest of the class to manage one student) or (2) require significant investment in time or expense relative to the Art Center’s operating budget (e.g., hiring and paying for a private, dedicated one-on-one behavioral staff member out of Art Center funds).

4. Right to Exclude or Dismiss a Student from the Program

Abington Art Center reserves the right to suspend or permanently terminate a student’s enrollment in the youth program/summer camp under the following specific circumstances:

1. Unremedied Substantial Disruption: If a student’s behavior persistently prevents the instructor/counselor from conducting the class/program and delivering the art curriculum, and this behavior cannot be resolved through the implementation of reasonable modifications, the student may be dismissed.
2. Direct Threat to Safety: In accordance with applicable state and federal guidelines, the Art Center has the right to exclude a student if their behavior poses a “direct threat” to the health or safety of themselves, Art Center staff, volunteers or other students. Examples of direct threats include, but are not limited to:
   • Acts of physical violence (hitting, biting, kicking, throwing heavy or sharp objects at people).
   • Leaving the designated classroom, building or camp boundaries without supervision (elopement).
   • Intentional destruction of Art Center property, gallery exhibits, or structural assets.

5. Standard Process Prior to Exclusion

Except in cases of immediate physical danger, the Art Center will not summarily exclude a child. Before a final decision to dismiss a student is made, the Art Center will:

1. Document specific instances of the behavior using factual Incident Reports.
2. Review whether all requested or obvious reasonable accommodations were properly implemented.
3. Meet with the parent or guardian to discuss the behavioral data and explore if alternative modifications can successfully resolve the issue.

If, after this collaborative process and documented intervention, the behavior continues to cause a direct safety threat or a fundamental alteration of the class, enrollment will be formally terminated.