Board approves reopen plan for fall classes

Uvalde, TX, June 22, 2020 - SWTJC board members voted unanimously to approve the SWTJC COVID-19 Return to Campus Plan, which was brought forth by the college administration on Thursday night (June 18) in Uvalde during their regular meeting.

According to the plan executive summary, all students, faculty, and staff are required to wear face masks when engaging in social interactions/environments on college campuses.

Face-to-face classes will be offered, which include courses in academic and technical programs. The maximum number of students in a class or lab will be determined using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

Student and faculty participation in these classes will include a variety of other safe practices, including staggered schedules, mandatory face masks, health and temperature screenings, and sanitizing classrooms after every class.

In addition, classes will also be delivered in a variety of instructional modalities, including online/internet classes, hybrid classes, or a combination of online, live video conferencing, and face-to-face delivery options.

The reopen plan states that all student support services such as libraries, advisors, financial aid, business office, student success centers, food services, and dorms will be available.

However, students will adhere to the most current CDC, State, and Federal recommendations regarding capacity, social distancing, face masks, accessible hand sanitizing frequency of cleaning and maintenance.

Additionally, health and temperature screening will be conducted for all students and staff that are on campuses.

“Knowing full well that the COVID environment is very dynamic and changing daily, we will be responsive to the changing guidance and will modify our plan accordingly as more information is available,” said SWTJC President, Hector Gonzales.

Stated in the plan summary, the proposed Return to Campus Plan provides an institution-wide accounting of how to keep the SWTJC community safe, while providing an accessible, high quality, post-secondary education to the school’s constituents.

Department-specific plans have also been included as addendums to the Return to Campus Plan to address any safety issues that are specific to that department.

The SWTJC COVID-19 Return to Campus Plan can be viewed by following this link https://swtjc.edu/about/covid19.html.

The first day of Fall classes is Aug. 24 at all campuses and sites. Students can register for fall classes and the second summer session via the Student Planning Tool or make an appointment with their advisor.