Minors on Campus: Underage Students at Community Colleges

Adopted Fall 2006

Minors on Campus: Underage Students at Community Colleges

T h e A c a d e m i c S e n at e f o r Ca l i f o r n i a C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e s

Minors on Campus

Educational Policies Committee 2005-2006 Mark Wade Lieu, Ohlone College, Chair Cathy Crane-McCoy, Long Beach City College Greg Gilbert, Copper Mountain College Karolyn Hanna, Santa Barbara City College Andrea Sibley-Smith, North Orange County CCD/Noncredit Beth Smith, Grossmont College Alice Murillo, Diablo Valley College?CIO Representative

Contents

Executive Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Laws Concerning Minors in Community Colleges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Issues Related to Minors on Community College Campuses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Parental Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Health and Safety Issues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Curricular Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Role of the Local Academic Senate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Frequently Asked Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Appendices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 A. Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 B. Recommendations from the Minors in Higher Education Task Force. . . . . . . . . . . . 21 C. Code and Regulation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Minors on Campus

Executive Summary

F all 2005 enrollment data show approximately 73,000 students under the age of 18 enrolled in California community colleges. Of this number only 19,083 had already graduated from high school, and more than 2,500 were under 14. Given that students under the age of 18 are legally considered minors, community college faculty and staff are often uncertain about their roles and responsibilities for these students. Laws governing the opportunities for minors on community college campuses and the responsibilities colleges have for them while they are enrolled come from California Education Code, California Penal Code, and California Welfare and Institutions Code. Education Code ??76001 and 76002 authorize colleges to admit minors but also permits colleges to establish criteria for admission based on age, grade level, and eligibility. Penal Code ??11165 and 11166 include information about child abuse reporting and states that faculty and any community college employee who has direct contact with enrolled minors are considered mandated reporters. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) makes it clear that only a student can authorize release of his/her community college records. Issues related to minors on community college campuses can be divided into three areas: parental, health and safety, and curricular issues. While parents are expected to be involved in a child's decision to attend a community college, FERPA prevents a parent from accessing a student's grade records without the student's permission. Parents also need to know that admission to a college is not the same as enrollment in a specific course. Many colleges reserve permission to enroll in a course to the instructor.

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