Thread regarding Heald College layoffs

118: The key phrase here is "otherwise qualified person". Someone without the mental ability to deal with course material is not "otherwise qualified" - they are not qualiied at all. As such, ADA does not protect those indivisduals.

839: you act like you think you actually know what you're talking about, it's funny!

It's just a pretend exam, a farce, really. Heald students are largely illiterate. If Heald had ever been a real college, it would use the SAT or ACT, but Heald has always just been pretend college operating out of rented office space. If it disappears tomorrow, who will miss it? Heald students can just transfer to Stanford and move on with their lives.

Good thing for that guy there's no law against being an asshole. PS. There is an entrance exam, although in my personal opinion it is not adequate.

086, your both correct and incorrect. You are correct in that it is not an ADA law, however, you are incorrect as for it actually is a law as seen in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: "Section 504 stipulates that no otherwise qualified person due to disability may be denied the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance (29 U.S.C. § 794(a)). Note that this statute applies only to public and private "recipients" of federal aid (see Table 1). However, nearly all public and most private colleges are recipients."

The Americans with Disabilities Act doesn't require colleges to admit mentally disabled people, which we clearly do. We then steal their student loan money from them until they inevitably fail out. An entrance exam would help us avoid this, but that would require scruples on our behalf.

052, are you serious? "No more allowing mentally disabled in fields where they'll never get jobs." Have you ever heard of the Americans with Disabilities Act? You really have no clue, do you!

Quit calling what students get an associate's degree. Make them all certificates, forget the false attempts at college level writing and math. Award certificates in whatever field -- medical assisting, criminal justice, pharmacy tech, paralegal studies, general business, and really TEACH THOSE FIELDS. Work with businesses to find out what fields they need, and what skills are necessary. Include some sort of entrance requirement, whether it's a GED or high school diploma, or some sort of basic skills test. No more allowing mentally disabled in fields where they'll never get jobs. If the degree actually means something -- something that it's capable of meaning -- and not something that it can't possibly mean, and is therefore, a joke, the word will get around, and people will attend. What's more, the programs can be certified by programs like the Workforce Investment Act funding for people to get real employable skills. Everything must start with integrity, something they lost under CCi. It may be too late, though.

Our potential would be best served by becoming non-profit again, reaching out to businesses in our areas to see what they are really looking for (hello, does anyone anywhere use Medical Manager???), lowering tuition to compete somewhat more directly with community colleges, thus increasing student population, and thus allow for upgrades to our technology in the classroom and an overhaul of curriculum and finding better textbooks. We all believe in our students, of that I am certain.

Does the buyer really assume liability and have to pay restitution if the lawsuit wins

I think we still have a fighting chance. I know some posters, especially on the CCI board, have already written us off and claim to "know" that there are no buyers out there willing to buy us due to the CA AG litigation, however, I believe that there are buyers out there who will assume the responsibility if they see the potential in us that we all know is there.