There's really not much to handle. All states have limits about other activities such as school, self-employment etc. and how much can be done while still collecting UI. It's not so much whether he is available 8-5 as how many hours he is going to school. After x number of hours (x varies with the state) the state determines that the other activity, whether it is school, self-employment or something else, is taking up too much time for an effective job search.

All he can do is explain the situation at the hearing and hope for the best.