EEO California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Releases Equal Employment Opportunity Model Plan

Last month, following revisions to Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations related to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Programs, found in Sections 53000 through 53033, which took effect on October 20, 2022, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office released a Model EEO Plan and memorandum discussing the revised EEO regulations and Model EEO Plan, on its website.  The Chancellor’s Office developed the Model EEO Plan in collaboration with Liebert Cassidy Whitmore.

The new Model EEO Plan, through Plan Component 13, incorporates the Multiple Methods strategies directly into a district’s EEO plan, rather than requiring districts to separately submit Multiple Methods certification on a yearly basis.  An EEO Plan Component 13 template is also available on the Chancellor’s Office’s website.  The Chancellor’s Office also updated its EEO Best Practices Handbook to help identify effective EEO practices and is working to develop training modules to assist districts with data analysis, pre-hiring, hiring, and post-hiring strategies.

In addition to announcing these resources, the Chancellor’s Office provided deadlines for districts to submit their draft EEO plans.

• Plans Due in 2022 or Earlier: In February 2022, due to the pending regulations, the Chancellor’s Office provided districts with EEO Plans due in 2022, a 9-month extension for the submission of their EEO Plans. Now that the revised regulations are effective, the Chancellor’s Office announced that for districts whose EEO plans were due in 2022, or before, and subject to the 9-month extension (Group 1), the districts must submit a new EEO Plan no later than May 1, 2023.
• Plans Due in 2022 or Later: For districts whose EEO plans are due in 2023 or later (Group 2), such districts must submit a new EEO Plan no later than October 2, 2023.

The May 1 and October 2, 2023 deadlines are not the deadlines by which a district’s governing board must adopt its final EEO Plan pursuant to the revised regulations.  Rather, these deadlines are the date by which a district must submit its draft EEO Plan for feedback from the Chancellor’s Office prior to a district’s governing board adopting the EEO Plan.  (Section 53003(a)(4).)  The Chancellor’s Office will consider extensions for extenuating circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

Given the May 1, 2023 deadline, the State Chancellor communicated an expectation that Group 1 EEO Plans will be in place for the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year.  For Group 2, the State Chancellor expects Group 2 EEO Plans to be in place by January 2024. The Chancellor’s Office will publish a list of districts in Group 1 and Group 2 on its website.

The Chancellor’s Office also set a deadline of 180 days, or April 18, 2023, for districts to implement revised written policies and procedures required by the revised EEO regulations.

For more information on the revisions to Title 5 regulations, visit LCW’s December 19, 2022, update.  LCW has a deep bench of experts who can help districts navigate compliance with federal and state laws and regulations governing equal employment opportunity, including providing required training and assisting in the preparation of EEO Plans.  If your district needs assistance, please contact one of our five offices statewide.