Learn more about how the CARES Act addendum to the Contra Costa Community College District (CCCCD) Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy impacts your eligibility for financial aid.
CARES Act
Section 3509 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stimulus (CARES) Act allows for regulatory flexibilities related to SAP when withdrawals are a result of a qualified emergency due to Coronavirus. The colleges of CCCCD (Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College, and Los Medanos College) will exclude from the quantitative component and maximum timeframe any units a student was unable to complete as a result of the COVID-19 national emergency, according to the following policy addendum:
I. Spring 2020 Term
If an institution temporarily ceases operations during a period of enrollment (term), attempted credits for all affected students may be excluded, specific to that term. Because CCCCD campuses closed during the spring 2020 term, all withdrawals for that term are considered a result of a COVID-19 related emergency and will be excluded from the quantitative measure and maximum timeframe.
II. Summer 2020 Term
CARES Act regulatory flexibilities related to SAP will only apply to primary terms. Therefore, all withdrawals during summer 2020 term will be evaluated according to the SAP Policy.
III. Fall 2020 Term
To exclude attempted credits for a term in which the institution did not undergo changes in operations, the student must provide a written attestation explaining why the withdrawal was a result of a COVID-19 related emergency, which includes but is not limited to:
- Illness of the student or family member
- Need to become caregiver or first responder
- Loss of childcare
- Economic hardship
- Inability to access WiFi due to closed facilities
- Increased work hours as a result of COVID-19
Because CCCCD campuses did not change operations during the fall 2020 term, students must complete and submit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Withdrawal Attestation in order to be considered for the exclusion of the withdrawals from the quantitative measure and maximum timeframe.
IV. Covered Period
Institutions are allowed to apply the CARES Act flexibilities to terms that include March 13, 2020, or terms that begin between March 13, 2020, and December 31, 2020, or the last date that the national emergency is in effect. Because this may include terms beyond fall 2020, this addendum may be updated as additional guidance is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.