A Letter from Dr. Joe Wyse​

Sunday, March 29, 2020
A Letter from Dr. Joe Wyse​

To the Shasta College Community:

Over the past several weeks, Shasta College has continued to assess and respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in our communities. This is a rapidly changing situation, and as new information becomes available and developments around our area evolve, it is paramount that we respond quickly to protect our students, our staff, and the communities we serve.   Because COVID-19 cases in the region have escalated and community transmission has been confirmed in the greater Sacramento area and suspected in Humboldt County, we are escalating our emergency response protocols to help prevent the spread of the virus. 

Effective immediately, we will complete all spring courses only online through the end of the Spring Semester.  No courses, including labs, will meet face-to-face this semester.  The ONLY exceptions are the programs serving critical public health and safety needs as stated in the Governor's March 19 directive (fire academy, emergency medical technician, and certain health science programs).  We are implementing strict sanitation and physical distancing measures in those courses to protect students, faculty, and staff from potential exposure. 

Any courses, including those with labs, which are not able to complete the Spring Semester entirely online WILL NOT meet the rest of the semester.  Repeat: we no longer expect to have the ability to restart those courses/labs requiring face-to-face instruction for the remainder of the semester.  We will provide additional direction to impacted students and faculty with available options to complete these courses/labs in the future.  Faculty, please commence your online courses as planned on Monday, March 30. 

Finally, we will limit access to all of our campuses to staff performing essential functions only beginning MONDAY, MARCH 30.  Only personnel from Campus Safety, Physical Plant, IT, Dorm Staff including RAs, Online Distance Education technicians, Business Office, and Payroll will be allowed on campus until further notice.  Staff will continue to perform essential functions to ensure the continuity of operations remotely wherever possible. Monday, March 30 will be a District Administrative Leave day for all classified staff.  Staff needed for essential functions will be contacted directly and notified of their work status for Monday, March 30. 

We will send direction to all employees by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 30 for Tuesday, March 31.  Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as we make these adjustments.  These are challenging times, but by continuing to use our creativity and great problem-solving, we will come through this while protecting our communities’ health and serving our students to the best of our ability.   Students have been sent this communication on March 29, 2:00 p.m. 

Should you have questions or need additional information please refer to our webpage www.shastacollege.edu/covid19 or call our Campus Safety department at 530-242-7910.​