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CA denying college aid to students with drug convictions

By Ana Tintocalis / Education Reporter,  KPBS Public Broadcasting
Published April 16, 2006 at 9:00 PM PDT
This story was published more than 18 years ago.

A new report says California is leading the nation in denying college aid to students with drug convictions. Now the American Civil Liberties Union is getting involved. KPBS reporter Ana Tintocalis ha

A new report says California is leading the nation in denying college aid to students with drug convictions. Now the American Civil Liberties Union is getting involved. KPBS reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy released the report after obtaining the data through the Freedom of Information Act. The group found more than 30 thousand students have been declared ineligible for federal aid. The group has joined forces with the ACLU to strike down the rule. Spokesman Tom Angell says people should not be punished twice.

Angell: "They've already been arrested fined an perhaps sent to jail. And so taking away their access to education in addition to that - ios not only to the counterproductive to the aim of reducing substance abuse - but its unconstitutional because it punishes students twice for the same crime."

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Texas and Florida also deny financial aid to many college students with drug convictions. Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.

Ana Tintocalis
Ana Tintocalis was a member of the KPBS radio news team from 2001 to 2011. She first served as a as a producer for "These Days" (now "Midday Edition") and then later as the station's education reporter. After graduating from California State University, Long Beach with a journalism degree, Ana began working as a field reporter and anchor at KLON Radio 88.1 FM in Long Beach, covering breaking news in Orange and Los Angeles counties. During that time she also freelanced for other print and broadcast news organizations, such as Metro Networks, the Associated Press, and Santa Clarita Our Times. In 2001, Ana traveled for more than three months in Cuba where she produced a radio series focusing on the street music in Havana. Upon returning from her journey, Ana freelanced as a reporter covering court cases for the Antelope Valley Press, a newspaper based in Palmdale, California.
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