The Central PA Institute of Science and Technology (CPI) is an equal opportunity educational institution and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age creed, religion, sex sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, marital status, pregnancy or handicap/disability in its activities or programs as required by Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504. For information regarding civil rights or grievance procedures, contact the Title IX and Section 504 Coordinator at jmartin@cpi.edu, 540 North Harrison Road, Pleasant Gap, PA 16823 (814) 359-2793, ext. 240. For information regarding services, activities and facilities that are accessible to and usable by handicapped persons, contact the Section 504 Coordinator.
To assist in providing a safe school environment, a security camera system is installed and operational in school hallways and at all building access doors. The security camera system is functional 24 hours a day and is monitored during school hours.
The Severe Weather Alert Alarm will be used to warn occupants of the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science & Technology facility of approaching tornados, hurricanes, or high winds.
When the audio buzzer sounds for one continuous minute, students and their instructors should immediately go the designated ’safe area’ for their particular class. Students are asked to walk to the safe areas in an orderly manner and remain alert for announcements updating them on the emergency situation. When the emergency threat has passed, an all-clear announcement will be made and four short blasts of the audio buzzer will be sounded.
On occasion, we may be required to cancel classes due to inclement weather. If the school is closed for the day due to weather conditions, the Adult & Continuing Education classes will also be canceled for the day. In the school closes early due to weather, the Adult & Continuing Educations classes are canceled.
If you are unsure if classes are in session, please call the Adult & Continuing Education Office at (814) 359-2793 or 1-877-YOUR-FUTURE (1-877-968-7388).
School closings are available on most local television and radio stations, as well as 3WZ.com.
- EVERYONE must leave the building.
- ABSOLUTE SILENCE is essential so that emergency directions may be heard if given by a teacher or the P.A. system.
- ALL WINDOWS AND DOORS MUST BE CLOSED and lights and machines turned off. Keep all doors closed. Students working near shop windows and outside doors should be instructed to inspect and close. The teacher should check the room or shop and close the fire door exit.
- MOVE RAPIDLY to designated exits when the signal sounds. In the event the regular exit is blocked, students will be directed to alternate routes through neighboring shop or laboratory. In case of only one exit, do not allow students to crash through obstructions; wait for fireperson to create an exit.
- KEEP ALL ROADS AND DRIVEWAYS CLEAR. Students must cross and be clear of all roadways.
- TEACHERS MUST take their class roll book or students checklist with them and take attendance after assembling outside. In case of a real emergency, this would be the only quick check on students in attendance for the day.
- FOUR short blasts of the audio buzzer will signal return to the building.
Any signal not heard by the teacher or the group in a room/shop should be reported to the office.
Teachers should check all fire extinguishers weekly.
Any student who is hearing impaired should notify the teacher immediately. When the fire alarm rings the teacher is responsible to see that hearing impaired students are assisted. Other students will be assigned to notify the hearing impaired student in case of a drill or emergency situation.
In case of an accident, or injury, no matter how minor, the student must complete an accident report form with the instructor to record the nature of the injury, equipment in use, and conditions causing the injury. All injuries, no matter how small, must be reported to the teacher immediately. No personal first aid treatment will be performed by the student. An accident report for each occurrence must be completed and signed by the instructor and the student.
The School Tobacco Control Act 145 of 1996 prohibits students from possessing or using tobacco in a school building or on school property. Any student who commits an offense under this act shall be subject to prosecution by the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science & Technology.
Definition of Terms:
- Smoking shall include the possession of lighted cigarette, cigar, and pipe, or other lighted equipment, as well as the actual act of smoking.
- Tobacco use shall include smoking as defined above, as well as, the use of smokeless tobacco in any form.
- Possession shall include having any one or more of the items listed in numbers 1 and 2 above on one’s person, in any carrying apparatus (book bag, gym bag, etc.), or in one’s school locker.
To provide a safe school environment and to comply with the provisions of Act 26 of 1995, CPI prohibits the possession of and dangerous weapons or replica of any dangerous weapons on school property, in school vehicles, in student vehicles on school property, and at school sponsored activities on or at school property.
Dangerous weapons refer to any weapon, device, instrument, material, or substance, animate or inanimate, which under the circumstances in which it is used, attempted to be used, or threatened to be used, is readily capable of causing death or serious injury.
Dangerous weapons shall include but not limited to: firearms, knives, metal knuckles, straight razors, explosives, noxious, irritating or poisonous gases, poisons, drugs, or other items fashioned with the intent to use, sell, harm, threaten or harass students, administration, faculty, staff members, parents, and patrons.
As mandated in section 1317-2 of the Act of 1995, students who violate this policy could be expelled from school for a minimum of one year from the date the student was found guilty. Special needs students found guilty of violating this policy will be disciplined in accordance with the provision of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Basic Education Circular (BEC) 1-95. The Executive Director and Joint Operating Committee of CPI will review each alleged violation of this policy and will exercise discretion for expulsion on a case-by-case basis.
All acts of violence and possession of weapons as defined in this policy shall be reported to parents of the violator, the appropriate law enforcement agency, and the Office of Safe Schools, PA Department of Education. Such reporting requirement to the PA Department of Education will be made twice annually as mandated in Section 1303-A of Act 26 of 1995.
- CPI must refund all money paid if the applicant is not accepted. This includes instances where a class is canceled by CPI.
- All monies paid by the applicant will be refunded in full if requested within three days after signing an enrollment agreement and making payment – even after beginning training.
- Regarding the Program Application fee, the Application fee is fully refundable if the student notifies the school of intent to cancel in writing within five calendar days of signing the contract. A request for cancellation that is not made in writing shall be confirmed in writing by the student within anextended refund period of five additional calendar days provided. The school may retain the student’s application fee after five calendar days orafter ten calendar days absent written confirmation. After ten calendar days, CPI’s application fee is non-refundable.
- If training is terminated after the student enters classes, CPI may retain the application fee established under part 3 of this subsection, plus apercentage of the total tuition as described in the following table:
| If the student completes this amount oftraining: | CPI may keep thispercentage ofthe tuition cost: |
| One week or up to 10%, whichever is less | 10% |
| More than one week or 10% whichever is lessbut less than 25% | 25% |
| 25% through 50% | 50% |
| More than 50% | 100% |
- When calculating refunds, the official date of a student’s termination is the last day of recorded attendance:
(a) When CPI receives notice of the student’s intention to discontinue the training program; or,
(b) When the student is terminated for a violation of a published school policy which provides for termination; or
(c) When a student, without notice, fails to attend classes for thirty calendar days.
6. Textbooks are released to students by ter Used textbooks are non-refundable.
7. All refunds must be paid within thirty calendar days of the student’s official termination date.
- CPI must refund all money paid if the applicant is not accepted. This includes instances where a class is canceled by CPI.
- All monies paid by the applicant will be refunded in full if requested within three days after signing an enrollment agreement and making payment – even after beginning training.
- Regarding the Program Application fee, the Application fee is fully refundable if the student notifies the school of intent to cancel in writing within five calendar days of signing the contract. A request for cancellation that is not made in writing shall be confirmed in writing by the student within anextended refund period of five additional calendar days provided. The school may retain the student’s application fee after five calendar days orafter ten calendar days absent written confirmation. After ten calendar days, CPI’s application fee is non-refundable.
- If training is terminated after the student enters classes, CPI may retain the application fee established under part 3 of this subsection, plus apercentage of the total tuition as described in the following table:
| If the student completes this amount oftraining: | CPI may keep thispercentage ofthe tuition cost: |
| One week or up to 10%, whichever is less | 10% |
| More than one week or 10% whichever is lessbut less than 25% | 25% |
| 25% through 50% | 50% |
| More than 50% | 100% |
- When calculating refunds, the official date of a student’s termination is the last day of recorded attendance:
(a) When CPI receives notice of the student’s intention to discontinue the training program; or,
(b) When the student is terminated for a violation of a published school policy which provides for termination; or
(c) When a student, without notice, fails to attend classes for thirty calendar days.
6. Textbooks are released to students by ter Used textbooks are non-refundable.
7. All refunds must be paid within thirty calendar days of the student’s official termination date.
The Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology (CPI) is essentially an “open door” institution serving the educational needs of all who apply for admission. This does not mean, however, that there are no entrance requirements. Certain programs of study make various prerequisites a necessity. Most CPI training programs are credentialed by a nationally accredited organization (such as NLNAC, NCCER, NHA, AAMA, etc.). For programs with specific program accreditation, incoming students will be required to meet enrollment requirements of both the accrediting/credentialing organization as well as CPI’s enrollment requirements.
General Admissions Requirements
All applicants for admission to career training programs (diploma or certificate programs in excess of 400 clock hours) must meet the following requirements:
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Possess a high school diploma or GED.
Career training programs have program-specific application forms. Students can obtain a program specific application by contacting CPI’s Adult Education Office. Students must provide a non-refundable application fee of seventy five dollars ($75.00) with their application.
A student’s tuition account must be satisfied and complete prior to the student’s completion of their training program. Failure to pay the tuition by the program’s end date may result in CPI holding the student’s diploma or credential until the tuition account is satisfied. If the student is being sponsored by an agency or funding source, CPI requires that the sponsoring agency or funding source provide Adult Education with verification of sponsorship/funding prior to enrollment in the program.
Advanced Placement
CPI does not participate in the Advanced Placement Program. This program gives students the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school. There are no comparable courses with those offered at CPI.
All refunds will be made to lenders and Title IV within forty five (45) days and to students within sixty (60) days of withdrawal or termination. If a refund is due to a student under the institution’s refund policy and the student has received any Title IV aid as part of the student’s aid package, the refund will be distributed in the following manner:
- Refunds will be first made to the lender of a Title IV Loan to reduce the loan principal.
- Second, (if applicable) the refund will be applied to reduce any Title IV grant amounts received.
- Third, (if applicable) the refund will be made to the sponsoring agency, student, or parent.
All information on program costs and refund policies is made available to all applicants and is distributed prior to enrollment.
The calculation is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following Federal Return of Title IV funds formula:
Percentage of payment period or term completed = the number of hours completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the total hours in the payment period or term. (Any break of five days or more is not counted as part of the days in the term.) This percentage is also the percentage of earned aid.
Funds are returned to the appropriate federal program based on the percentage of unearned aid using the following formula:
Aid to be returned = (100% of the aid that could be disbursed minus the percentage of earned aid) multiplied by the total amount of aid that could have been disbursed during the payment period or term.
If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the institution would be required to return a portion of the funds and the student would be required to return a portion of the funds. Keep in mind that when Title IV funds are returned, the student borrower may owe a debit balance to the institution.
If a student earned more aid than was disbursed to him/her, the institution would owe the student a post-withdrawal disbursement which must be paid within 120 days of the student’s withdrawal. The institution must return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible no later than 45 days after the date of the determination of the date of the student’s withdrawal.
Refunds are allocated in the following order:
Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loans (other than PLUS loans)
Subsidized Direct Stafford Loans
Federal Perkins Loans
Federal Direct Parent (PLUS) Loans
Federal Pell Grants for which a Return of funds is required
Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants for which a Return of funds is required
Other assistance under this Title for which a Return of funds is required (e.g. LEAP)
Questions about the Title IV return of fund amounts should be directed to CPI’s Financial Aid Office, phone: (814) 359-2793 x 262.
Open Records Officer: Craig Livergood, email, (814) 359-2793 x258
PA Office of Open Records Appeals Office
Records request form
Regulations may be accessed on the Open Records Office Website
The following outline FERPA provisions as practiced at CPI:
Right To Access
With a few exceptions as provided by law, student may see their educational records upon request. Access will be granted upon written request to the program office. In some cases, students are also entitled to copies (at their expense) of all records to which they have rightful access. Students have the right, under established procedures, to challenge the factual accuracy of the records and to enter their viewpoints in the records.
Students may waive their right of access to recommendations and evaluations in the case of applications for employment and applications to other schools and universities which have been placed in your educational records.
Listing of Educational Records
At CPI, the permanent record and official file for each student is maintained by the specific program area and/or the Adult & Continuing Education Office. The file contains copies of documents relating to the student. It may also include information supplied to the school, copies of transcripts for academic work completed, and copies of letter related to academic or disciplinary action taken against the student.
Other offices may hold such information as is necessary to provide services or assistance to students, or information necessary for the administration of various programs. Incidental and/or official files may also be kept by academic instructors or other staff members.
Disclosure of Student Records
With several exceptions identified in the following paragraph, CPI cannot release information concerning students to prospective employers, government agencies, credit bureaus, or other third parties without the written consent of the eligible student. Students and alumni applying for jobs, credit, graduate school, etc., must provide CPI with signed and dated written consents to release their records, specifying the records that may be disclosed, the purpose of the disclosure, and the party or class of parties to whom disclosure may be made.
CPI has designated the following categories of information as “directory information” which, at CPI’s discretion, may be released without consent of the student: student’s name, degree program and major area of study, dates of attendance, and degrees and awards received.
Students may request that directory information not be released without their written consent. Such requests must be submitted in writing to the program Coordinator and must include their name, address, student identification number, date, and signature.
CPI accords to its students all rights under this law. No one outside the institution shall have access to students’ educational records, nor will CPI disclose any information from these records without the written consent of students except, in accordance with the Act, (1) to personnel within the institution or appropriate officials of the school in which the student seeks to enroll, (2) to persons or organizations providing student financial aid, (3) to accrediting agencies carrying out their accreditation function, (4) to persons in compliance with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena (provided that CPI will first make a reasonable attempt to notify the student), (5) to organizations conducting studies to develop, validate, and administer predictive tests, to administer student aid programs, or to improve instruction, (6) to authorized representatives of federal or state government agencies for the purpose of audit and evaluation of government programs, and (7) to persons in an emergency in order to protect the health or safety of students or other persons.
All of these exceptions are permitted under the Act. Information will be released only on the condition that the party to whom the information is released will not disclose it to subsequent parties without the written consent of the student. Furthermore, CPI will maintain records of any access provided without the express consent of the student, and these records will be made available to the student on request.
Further Notice
This notice is not intended to be fully explanatory of students’ rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Copies of CPI’s Compliance Policy and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act are available from the Adult Education Office of CPI.
Right To File A Complaint
Inquiries and complaints may be filed with the Family P
This policy allows for the use of an online course management system during regular in-person teaching, and also allows for the use of this online learning management system in a case where the student or the teacher cannot attend class in person for a short period of time. For example, if a student is quarantined due to COVID-19, recovering from an accident or illness, or other short-term situations as determined to be valid by the CPI administration.
These guidelines should be followed in the case of the shift to an online portion of a program:
- This period when an instructor or student is out should not exceed more than three weeks at a time.
- The use of the online learning management system will only cover the lecture/didactic portion of the class. This online learning will not take the place of in-person, hands-on learning as required in the objectives of the course.
- All students will have access to computers and other necessary technology from CPI that can be signed out if a student is unable to provide their own computer. They must contact the IT staff to indicate their need for these resources as soon as they know they will not be able to attend courses in person.
- All students are introduced to the Google Classroom for their course in the first week of classes, where instructors help students understand how to use the online course. Resources for the course are stored there, and homework will be turned in online, so students are familiar with Google Classroom if a situation arises and they are unable to attend class in person.
- For each week they are attending virtually, students will have a week and a half to make up work, unless it is the end of a term, which they will need to address with their instructor about earning an Incomplete. For example, If a student misses two weeks, they will have three weeks to make up their hands-on work. There will be opportunities to make up missing time before and after regular course hours, or at a mutually agreed upon time between the instructor and the student.
- These online practices are limited in duration, application, and in scope to only those students whose circumstances qualify.
- This policy cannot be used to replace the entirety of the approved delivery method of a program.
Program Accreditations, Certifications, Credentials
- A+
- Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI)
- American Welding Society (AWS)
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) – Cisco Academy
- Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refrigerant certification location
- Industry Competency Exam (ICE)
- Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) – Certiport test center
- National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF)
- National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER)
- National Healthcareers Association (NHA)
- National Institute of Home Builders (NIHB)
- National Institute of Metalworking Standards (NIMS) – student testing site
- National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC)
- National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP)
- Net +
- OBDII testing / certification site
- PennDOT Authorized Commercial Drivers License test center
- Pennsylvania Emissions certification testing site
- Pennsylvania State Inspection certified educational facility
- ServSafe certification facility
- State Board of Cosmetology