KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - News'Troubling' Leak of Confidential SBCC Report

'Troubling' Leak of Confidential SBCC Report

SANTA BARBARA – A confidential Santa Barbara City College report from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges was leaked to an online news agency and the SBCC president is calling the leak "troubling."

The Noozhawk website reported that the 16-page confidential document was sent to them anonymously with a return address of City College.

The commission conducted a two-day site visit in November in response to a letter of complaint that the school's governing board was out of compliance.

Noozhawk said the "scathing report" showed the Board of Trustees violated its own rules and either did not understand or dismissed the Brown Act.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon by the Acting Superintendent and President Dr. Jack Friedlander, he called the report preliminary and said it was not expected to be made public.

"The college and board members have been portrayed in ways that are inaccurate, unbalanced and not reflective of actual events," Dr. Friedlander said in the statement.

The board has 30 days to respond to the ACCJC report and will keep that response confidential.

Statement by SBCC Acting Superintendent/President Jack Friedlander on Leak to Press of Confidential Preliminary ACCJC Report

 On February 6, 2012, I received a preliminary report from the investigative team from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) concerning a complaint about SBCC made to the ACCJC last June. Under ACCJC policy, this report is to be kept confidential and it is only upon final Commission action that a public report is made. This is to ensure that institutional assessments are accurate and that candid communications can occur which reflect all needed input from the institution during the review process. The unauthorized leak of the investigative team report to the press is very harmful to this process.

I have had direct confirmation from ACCJC earlier this week that the report is preliminary only and is not expected to be made public. Before any final Commission action is taken and any report issued, the college will submit its formal response, providing additional critical input and correcting various errors. Only after the full review process has been completed will the Commission deliberate and consider taking some final action, and only then will it become public.

It is especially troubling in an institution of higher education, which is expected to lead by example, that someone associated with SBCC has chosen for his/her own personal reasons to leak this report. By not following established rules designed to result in a fair and unbiased process, the college and board members have been portrayed in ways that are inaccurate, unbalanced and not reflective of actual events.

Despite this unfortunate turn of events, SBCC will continue to honor the rules that have been put in place. I will be preparing a confidential response to the investigative team report, as I have been requested to do, and otherwise will fully cooperate with the ACCJC during the remainder of its investigation.