Cañada College, College of San Mateo and Skyline College will continue with mostly distance learning through the end of the Spring 2021 semester due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the San Mateo County Community College District (SMMCCD) announced last week.
In-person instruction will continue for courses that provide training for “essential” careers such as those involving first responders and healthcare workers, or to meet licensing requirements for career education programs.
Most of the college district’s employees will also continue to work remotely through May 2021.
“This decision allows our employees to plan ahead for a successful spring semester, and it lets students know what to expect,” SMCCCD Chancellor Mike Claire said in a statement. “Staying online is the best way to keep our students, faculty, and staff healthy and safe.”
The district says it prepared for distance learning this summer with a $1.4 million Federal CARES Act funds that supported a professional development program for about 600 college faculty and other staff, and has been distributing loaner Chromebooks, WiFi hotspots and other supplies to students. It is also offering drive-up WiFi service six days a week on campuses, free food distribution at Skyline College on Wednesdays and College of San Mateo on Fridays, and is distributing more than $4.2 million in federal CARES Act funding to students to assist with financial challenges.
