• To ascertain the level of county extension program compliance with civil rights and Americans with Disabilities Act laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
  
  
• To recommend practice changes necessary to bring county extension programs into compliance and to affirm current practices which meet the requirements and intent of civil rights.
  


• To strengthen cross-program understanding and cooperation.
  

Internal
The faculty and staff of the county under review will serve as the internal review team.

The external and internal reviewers are expected to work cooperatively to assure accurate assessments and appropriate recommendations and actions.

The review will be comprised of four parts:

Self-Assessment and Internal Review.
External Review.
Report of Findings and Recommendations.
County Plan to Remedy Situations Which Require Action.

Each review will focus on four essential aspects of compliance:

• Planning and Advisory Group - Composition and Process.
• Public Notification Efforts.
• Program Implementation and Participation.
• Documentation and Reporting.

The review will look at each of these aspects as they are carried out within the total extension program operative within the county.

The review will ascertain the degree to which appropriate steps are taken to assure participation of all persons irrespective of racial and ethnic identification, age, gender, handicap, or economic circumstances.

• The director of WSU Extension will appoint external review teams and assign counties for review. The director will request both volunteers and nominations for service on external review teams. Every effort will be made to form functional teams which represent program areas and classification of faculty.
  
  
• The director will notify counties selected for review by October 1 of each year.
  
  
• The chairs of the internal and external review teams will:

  * Establish and maintain a cooperative relationship.

  * Arrange schedules for completion of all review activities.

  * Facilitate the full participation of their respective groups.

• The internal and external team chairs will determine strategies for best use of review team time, attention, and energy to achieve optimum value from the review. For example, in one- and two-agent counties, it may be appropriate for all review team members to meet together for the entire on-site review. In counties with a larger faculty, it may be more efficient to hold concurrent sessions with each external reviewer meeting with a subgroup of county faculty.

Under no circumstances should review team members be narrowly assigned to study programs associated only with their own program assignment.

• The chairs of the external review team will:

  * Initiate a planning meeting with internal review team chair.

  * Convene and chair any necessary meetings of the external team.

  * Provide "suggested file documents for team member study" (see page 5).

  * Facilitate preparation of the report of findings and recommendations.

  * Forward the report of findings and recommendations to the director, the district director, and the internal review team members no later than one week following completion of the on-site review.

• The chair of the internal review team will:

  * Convene and chair all meetings of the internal review team.

  * Facilitate preparation of self-assessment and revised county plan of action.

  * Forward a copy of the self-assessment to members of external team no later than three weeks prior to on-site review.

  * Forward the revised county plan of action to the director and district director no later than one month following receipt of report of findings and recommendations.

• During the on-site review, all team members are expected both to ask questions and provide information. If a question is raised in the self-assessment or during the on-site review, the team chairs will be responsible for researching and providing an answer or referring it to the director's office for administration resolution.
  
  
• The Affirmative Action coordinator and the director, after reviewing the report of findings and recommendations and the revised county plan, will notify appropriate persons of receipt with approval or disapproval, and any required modifications. All steps above must be completed by June 30.
  
  
• Reimbursable costs associated with travel by external review team members will be as indicated in the letter of invitation to serve.

The Extension County Director, in consultation with county and area agents, will prepare a self assessment. The response should be forwarded to each member of the external review team at least three weeks prior to the review.

• Review the most recent County Affirmative Action Plan. Report any significant changes which have taken place since the preparation of the plan. Use the following categories to organize a response.

  * Potential population.

  * Projected targets for participation.

  * Significant accomplishments.

  * Planned activities which have not been undertaken.

• Review the most recent annual county civil rights report. Identify any additions which may assist the external review team to be knowledgeable about the county affirmative action program efforts.
  
  
• List questions which county faculty have in regard to civil rights laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
  

• Current county Civil Rights Plan.
• Most current county Narrative Civil Rights Reports.
• Roster of county and program advisory committee membership.
• Minutes of staff meetings showing affirmative action discussions.
• List of organizations and groups which have been certified as nondiscriminatory.
• Selected examples of:
  

  Attendance records.
  Public disclosure records.
  

1. What planning and advisory groups exist?
2. What is the composition of each group? What constituencies do the members represent?
3. How were the members selected and recruited? What is the term of service?
4. What orientation was provided to members to assure understanding of the requirements and intent of civil rights?
5. What specific steps are taken to insure participation by representatives of protected classes?
6. What ideas have county faculty proposed to the planning and advisory groups to stimulate attention to low-income, minority, or other protected classes?
7. What specific needs of protected classes have been identified by the planning and advisory groups?
8. What recommendations have been made by the planning and advisory groups to serve the needs of low-income, minority, or other protected classes?
9. What other efforts have been made to establish and maintain effective relationships with low-income, minority, or other protected classes?
   

1. Where are the "Justice for All" posters displayed? Make sure county faculty/staff know why it's posted, it's intent & purpose.
2. Is the nondiscriminatory statement included on all news releases, newsletters, and other printed material?
3. How are individuals advised of the right, and procedures, to file a complaint?
4. How are informal complaints handled?
5. How are program events advertised?
6. What specific efforts are made to notify and promote events and services among low-income, minority, and other protected class populations?
7. How do you orient volunteers to carry out the intent and regulations regarding public notification?
8. How are groups and organizations notified that service must be denied to those who have discriminatory policies or practice discrimination? Are organization by-laws (4-H, etc) current and reflect claims about not discriminating? (These need to be updated/verified every 2-3 years).

1. What programs have been offered to meet the needs and interests of low-income, minority, or other protected classes?
2. What adjustments have been made in time or focus of program activity to assure the accessibility and acceptability of the offerings?
3. What has been done to recruit and train leaders indigenous to the low-income, minority, or other protected class populations?
4. How have majority population leaders been recruited and trained to serve low-income, minority, or other protected class populations?
5. How does current participation compare to potential population targets?

1. How are civil rights data collected from
   Newsletter subscribers?
   Office visitors?
   Participants in agent-conducted meetings?
   Participants in volunteer-conducted meetings?
   
   
2. In addition to participation data, what other evidence of compliance is collected?
   
   
3. Ask to see files.
   Where are participation data and other evidence stored?
   Who manages storage and retrieval?

   From what organizations has written documentation of nondiscriminatory practice been obtained?

   How are attendance records kept?

4. With what frequency is progress toward affirmative action goals assessed?
   
   
5. To what groups and individuals, and with what frequency, are civil rights efforts reported? (For example, county commissioners, planning and advisory groups, civil organizations, minority group leaders.)

A. Significant Changes

1. Potential population
2. Planned Action

B. Planning and Advisory Group Composition and Process

1. Findings
   a. Existence of appropriate advisory system
   b. Representation of protected classes
   c. Orientation to and address of civil rights issues
   d. Other
2. Recommendations

C. Public Notification Efforts

1. Findings
   a. Passive notification systems (e.g., "Justice for All" poster, nondiscriminatory statement on printed materials)
   b. Awareness of complaint procedures
   c. Active notification systems (e.g., event promotion, leader recruitment)
   d. Orientation of volunteers
   e. Service to discriminatory groups
2. Recommendations

D. Program Implementation and Participation

1. Findings
   a. Program content
   b. Meeting logistics (e.g., time, place)
   c. Participant and leader participation
2. Recommendations

E. Documentation and Reporting

1. Findings
   a. Data and evidence collection systems
   b. Awareness of storage and retrieval procedures
   c. Assessment of progress
   d. Reporting efforts
2. Recommendations

F. Other Observations

1. Findings
2. Recommendations