California regulators have placed the dental hygiene program at Cabrillo College on probation for three years after discovering multiple state law violations, including insufficient staff and administrators who changed grades to advance students.
In addition to probation, the Dental Hygiene Board of California recently ordered the program to pay a $5,000 fine. The program must adhere to quarterly reporting and is subject to unannounced site visits. By placing the program on probation, the board is giving the college time to improve and avoid losing its accreditation.
After a visit was conducted at the program’s clinic, which provides low-cost treatment to the public, earlier this year, the board found multiple violations, according to the state board's letter.
The violations include having staff ratios below the minimum standard, students accessing the clinic without supervision, and administrators adjusting grades to allow students to move on to the next course.
The program’s 20 students reportedly passed classes despite not completing their required clinical hours. Some students were missing up to 44 hours of clinical experience, according to the letter.
Furthermore, more than a half-dozen students purportedly failed to meet extra course requirements but were permitted to enroll in the next course without finishing the prerequisite classes, according to the state.
Additionally, the dental hygiene program’s small budget appeared to play a role in some of the violations. A lack of funding led the department to eliminate a full-time employee, and the program forced students to pay for their own personal protective equipment, including gloves, according to the letter.
