On June 1, 2020, the SSCCC filed an Amicus Curiae Brief in support of California Community College Chancellor Oakley against Secretary of Education DeVos. Chancellor Oakley's legal action asks the court "to stop the U.S. Department of Education from placing arbitrary eligibility restrictions on relief funds Congress approved to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic."
As the official body representing the more than 2.1 million students on California Community Colleges, the SSCCC felt strongly that the court should also hear about how the arbitrary eligibility restrictions affect students and determined that an Amicus Curiae Brief was the best mechanism to tell the court the students' perspective. An Amicus Curiae Brief is a formal way for an organization, not directly involved in the legal case, to share its opinions with the judge on how the outcome of a case may impact them and persuade them to take a specific stance.
As the brief details, these restrictions directly impact as many as 800,000 of the most vulnerable students on California community colleges, specifically
-
160,000 students without a recognized degree program
-
125,000 students without a high school diploma
-
40,000 students without the required grades
-
140,000 students without required immigration status
-
Up to 84,000 students without a clean record
-
275,000 students without a FAFSA
The California Community College system will already have significant cuts to its budget because of the COVID-19 and resultant recession. We do not also need to be denied funds because of arbitrary restrictions on funds that are intended to provide assistance during the pandemic.
Read the full SSCCC Brief here.
