(a)        The Board may dismiss a complaint, accept a consent order, or hold a hearing, or may accept a voluntary surrender of a registration, license, or certificate or of approval as a course sponsor.

(b)        Records, papers, and other documents containing information received, collected, or compiled by the Board, its members, or its employees, as a result of a complaint or investigation, shall not be considered public records within the meaning of Chapter 132 of the N.C. Gen. Stat.. Any statement of charges contained within a notice of a hearing to be held by the Board is a public record, even though it may contain information collected and compiled as a result of a complaint or investigation against a trainee, licensee, or certificate holder or an applicant. Any record, paper, or other document admitted into evidence in a hearing held by the Board, and any final decisions and orders by the Board, including consent orders, shall be public records within the meaning of Chapter 132 of the N.C. Gen. Stat..

(c)        The Board may inspect records maintained pursuant to this Chapter periodically, without prior notice, and may also inspect these records whenever the Board determines that they are pertinent to an investigation of any specific complaint against a person registered, licensed, or certified by the Board. (2001-399, s. 1.)