(A) Application required. No person shall be considered for or awarded a scholarship without completing and filing an application by the deadline stated in § 97.08(F). There shall be no fee for a person to apply for a scholarship.
(B) Completion of application.
(1) Contents. Applications shall be on forms as approved by the Committee. Applicants shall provide the following information: (A) full name, date of birth and social security number; (B) a copy of a current North Carolina Driver’s License or Identification Card or other authentic document or copy thereof bearing the applicant’s residential address; (C) street or apartment or dormitory address and phone number at which applicant may currently be reached; (D) street or apartment address at which the applicant maintains domicile; (E) name of high school, private school or home school applicant attends or_from which applicant graduated and address and phone number of such school; (F) copy of verification of enrollment or diploma or other certification of graduation issued by high school, private school or home school; (G) certified copy of transcript from all secondary schools, if a senior in a secondary school, or post-secondary institutions which applicant has attended and including the most recent transcript; (H) current grade-point average; (I) major course of study; (J) resume indicating academic and employment experience and extra-curricular activities in which the applicant has participated at the post-secondary institution and (K) three sealed letters of recommendation from persons not related by marriage or birth to the applicant, with two of the letters being provided by the instructors of the applicant at the applicant’s post-secondary institution. Additionally, each applicant shall prepare two typed essays, each not exceeding two double-spaced pages, and each explaining (1) why the applicant desires to pursue a career in teaching and (2) what specific changes or additions the applicant would make to the public education system and why such changes should be made. If an application states that the applicant is a graduate of a private school or home school, such applicant shall include a certification or similar statement issued by the duly authorized representative of the State of North Carolina who inspects or has inspected such private religious school or school of religious charter or home school, or if such school is a nonpublic school other than a home school, a statement of accreditation from the North Carolina State Board of Education or the Southern Association of Independent Colleges and Schools or a statement or other evidence of membership in the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools or a sworn affidavit by the chief executive of such school that the school receives no funding from the State of North Carolina.
(2) Signature of applicant. Each applicant shall sign the application. The application of any person who has not attained the age of 18 years at the time of filing the application shall also be signed by the responsible adult of such applicant. The applicant’s date of birth is requested to assure that any person who applies for a scholarship and who may enter into a contract with Davidson County has the legal capacity to enter into such contract.
(3) Applicant consents to investigation. Each person who submits an application consents to the investigation of his or her background and authorizes the regular voting members and alternates of the Committee, the County Manager, the County Attorney and the Board of Commissioners to obtain and review all information submitted by or regarding the applicant to carry out the respective duties set forth in this chapter.
(C) Disclosure of information. By applying for a scholarship, an applicant or responsible adult of the applicant is permitting the release of the applicant’s academic record and information to Davidson County and the review of such information by Davidson County, the regular voting members and alternates of the Committee appointed by the Board of Commissioners, the Board of Commissioners, the County Manager and the County Attorney. The applicant or responsible adult of the applicant also consents to an investigation into the background of the applicant. Each application shall contain a statement acknowledging such permission which shall be signed by the applicant or responsible adult of the applicant. The filing of an application shall constitute a waiver by the applicant of any objection to the release and review of academic information or records. No such information shall be released as authorized by this chapter.
(D) Public records and Open Meetings Law may apply. It is the intent of this chapter that educational records and information submitted by the applicant shall not be available for public inspection and that the discussion of whether to award an applicant a scholarship shall not be conducted in a public meeting. However, all information submitted to the Committee is or may be subject to the Public Records Law of North Carolina and may be available for inspection and copying by the public as required by such law. All discussions of and actions on applications are or may be subject to the Open Meetings Law of North Carolina and may be made in a meeting open to the public as required by such law. All educational records of an applicant and the social security number of an applicant shall not be considered a public record and shall not be released by Davidson County nor any agent, officer or employee thereof nor any regular voting member or alternate of the Committee unless required by law.
(E) Duty to provide accurate and truthful information. Every applicant shall certify that the information provided in the application is true and complete to the knowledge of the applicant and that the applicant is acting in good faith. The applicant shall have a continuing duty to supplement or correct any answers during the pendency of an application. Any person who willfully or knowingly provides false or inaccurate information or willfully or knowingly fails to supplement or correct such answers if such failure would result in any answer being false or inaccurate shall be in violation of this chapter and shall have committed an unlawful act. It shall be a violation of this chapter and an unlawful act for any applicant to obtain a scholarship award or accept a scholarship award by willfully or knowingly using or relying upon false or inaccurate information or other fraudulent means. It shall be a violation of this chapter and an unlawful act for any person to assist an applicant in obtaining or to obtain on behalf of an applicant or any other person a scholarship award or accept a scholarship award by willfully or knowingly using or relying upon false or inaccurate information or other fraudulent means. Davidson County may seek remedies for such violation as provided in § 97.12.
(F) Filing of application. Applications may be filed within the two established filing periods which are (1) January 1 to March 15 and (2) September 1 to November 15. Applications must be filed in the Office of the County Manager of Davidson County, Davidson County Governmental Center, Fourth Floor, at 913 North Greensboro Street, Lexington, North Carolina. It is the intent of this subsection that applications shall be received for consideration within the dates of the filing periods.
(G) No property right by filing an application. The filing of an application shall not be deemed approval of such application as to form or content and shall not grant to any applicant a right to or a property interest in a scholarship. An applicant shall not be entitled to a hearing before the Board of Commissioners, the Committee or any agent, employee or officer of Davidson County on the award of a scholarship or denial of a scholarship or any appeal of any such decisions. Review of an application shall be as provided in and in accordance with the terms, provisions, rules and regulations of this chapter, the rules and regulations of the Committee and other applicable law.
(H) Consent to be bound by ordinance. Each person who files an application and each person who signs a filed application consent to be bound by all the provisions, terms, rules and regulations of this chapter, the Committee, and the application and disclaimer form.
(Ord. passed 3-9-04; Am. Ord. passed 4-22-08; Ord. passed 8-25-15; Ord. passed 1-10-17) Penalty, see § 97.99