San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) Chancellor Constance M. Carroll announced that all district campuses will close beginning Monday, March 23, as the district implements remote delivery of instruction and essential operations due to the COVID-19 situation. It is not yet known when campuses might reopen.
“This is truly uncharted territory for all of us and meeting the many challenges of this crisis requires both flexibility and a very fast pace,” said Chancellor Carroll in an email sent today to all district employees. “Speaking for the Board of Trustees and our district leadership team, our top priorities are the health and safety of our students and employees as well as the continuity of instruction and operations.”
Late last week, it was announced that campuses at San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges, as well as Continuing Education would be closed to students and classes canceled for the week of March 16. Classes will resume through online and other alternative modes of instruction, on March 23. Students are being updated by via email, text, campus websites and social media posts by each institution.
Most of the district’s 5,000 employees are being sent home starting Wednesday, March 18 in order to reduce the possibility of exposure to the coronavirus, although some employees will continue to work onsite as part of the transition to remote operations. All employees will be working from home as of Monday, March 23. These steps are seen as an important way to curb the rapid spread of the virus in the community.
Chancellor Carroll had high praise for the faculty for their enormous effort in converting their classes to a distance education format and also lauded the entire staff for their hard work and support in moving the district toward total closure.
The district has established a webpage with updates on the current COVID-19 situation at sdccd.edu/coronavirus. Updates are also available at 619-388-6980.
