SANTA ANA COLLEGE el Don / eldonn
LAWSUIT
District Loss
The Rancho Santiago Community College District is losing about $ 1 million after the Orange County Court of Appeals affirmed a prior lawsuit decision Thursday against the district . The plaintiff , three-time RSCCD employee Marisa Hernandez , filed the lawsuit after the district terminated her employment during an approved workers ’ compensation leave . Hernandez was slated to return to work after the end of her probationary period before becoming a permanent employee , but was unable to complete job performance evaluations while recovering from hand surgery . “ If an employee is disabled , never fire that employee ,” said Robert Scuderi , Hernandez ’ s attorney . According to Scuderi , the district crossed Hernandez by firing her without any prior warning or seeking a resolution . “ She could have waited [ for the surgery ]. She was assured her job wouldn ’ t be affected .” With the court ruling in her favor , the district is paying Hernandez $ 723,746 in damages . District Chancellor Raul Rodriguez declined to comment at the advice of his legal counsel , as it is still an ongoing matter . According to the court record , the district appealed the incorrect court action , challenging the judgement after trial rather than the court ’ s decision , and failed to include certain testimonies and exhibits in their appeal record . The district can appeal to the California Supreme Court from June 3 to June 13 , where if the Supreme Court accepts , its nine court judges will hear the trial and reach a decision .
— Timothy Bravo
CHECK-IN / For the month of May , SAC ’ s Hea from Monday through Thursday for limited hou
HEALTH / STORY BY JASON
SAC REDUCES
A
high-level administrator ter says he needs proof t nursing hours before he
Interim Vice President of Student Services Arnulfo Cedillo claims that the center is fully staffed , while the center ’ s employees blame budget cuts and lack of organization for the drop-in available nursing hours to students . In an interview Tuesday , Cedillo countered that he was unaware of any shifts in hours and that he has only visited Santa Ana College ’ s Student Health and Wellness Center “ once or twice ” in the beginning of the spring semester . “ I ’ m not over there , and I don ’ t go over there because I have to trust that folks are doing what they ’ re supposed to do ,” Cedillo said . Students requiring on-campus medical services by a registered nurse may be denied after the health center continues to have reduced available nurse hours from last semester .