June 17, 2020
Paul Feist
pfeist@cccco.edu
T 916.327.5353
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley issued the following statement on the federal court decision affecting CARES Act emergency assistance to students:
“We applaud today’s federal court decision to issue a preliminary injunction that prevents the U.S. Department of Education from imposing any student eligibility requirement upon the distribution of emergency relief assistance to students under the CARES Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her department attempted to exclude as many as 800,000 California community college students from receiving emergency assistance that Congress approved to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. Among those who have been harmed by the guidance issued by the Department of Education are veterans, citizens who have not completed a federal financial aid application, and non-citizens, including undocumented students and those with DACA status. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ ruling is good news for all students who have been denied the assistance that Congress intended for them during this public health crisis.”
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 115 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. California community colleges provide career education and workforce training; guaranteed transfer to four-year universities; degree and certificate pathways; and basic skills education in English and math. As the state’s engine for social and economic mobility, the California Community Colleges supports the Vision for Success, a strategic plan designed to improve student success outcomes, increase transfer rates and eliminate achievement gaps. For more information, please visit the California Community Colleges website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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