Calif. Colleges Not Liable for Off-Campus Injuries, Court Rules
QUINCY, Calif.
California community colleges and their faculty are not responsible for injuries to students who are engaged in off-campus assignments, a state appellate court has unanimously held.
The decision bars a suit by a Feather River Community College student who suffered crippling injuries when she was thrown from the bed of a classmate’s pickup on an unpaved U.S. Forest Service road while working on a small group mapping assignment.
“As a general rule, a college may require college students to complete an off-campus assignment, without specifying how they are to transport themselves and without assuming a duty of care with respect to the mode of transportation selected,” Justice Richard Sims wrote for the 3-0 Court of Appeal panel.
