Question: Can we hire high school students to help out a few hours each week in the Cafeteria?

Response: Before hiring any student workers, be sure to talk to your personnel negotiator about whether the work you are considering hiring students to perform is unit work. If it is determined not to be unit work, and/or the bargaining unit is okay with the proposal to hire students, then the following should be considered.

• The student should have a work permit. Labor codes concerning the number of hours that students at each age group can work, will apply. The high school should know about the issuing of work permits as they are likely issuing work permits for students for various jobs.

• If the student employee is a student of your school, they do not need to be fingerprinted.

• If you are a merit system district, Education Code Section 45256 applies, ensuring that work is not taken from classified employees.

• If you are a non-merit system district, Education Code Section45103 (b) (3) applies, indicating that students are not part of the classified service; and EC 45103 (e) that employment of student workers does not result in the displacement of classified personnel.

• As students are not part of the classified service, bargaining unit considerations such as paid holidays, leave, vacation, benefits, etc. do not apply. Wages should meet the minimum wage scale for hours worked.