Los Rios Community College District announces fall classes will be online

With social distancing guidelines likely to remain in place in the coming months, Los Rios Community College District announced Monday it will move to a fully online fall schedule.

Very few classes that cannot be moved online will remain in-person, according to an email to students.

The college district said many students were concerned about campuses opening with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s physical distancing guidelines still in place and limited access to testing and personal protective equipment.

“We do not take this decision lightly, but by making it now, even though we do not yet know what the public health dynamic will be in August, we will give you the chance to appropriately prepare for online classes in the Fall,” read the email.

The Los Rios district serves more than 75,000 students each year across five counties at Sacramento City College, Folsom Lake College, Cosumnes River College and American River College.

All summer classes will remain online, and the campuses will remain closed through at least the July 4 holiday.

Many community colleges across the country made similar announcements, in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Sierra College in Rocklin will also hold fall classes online.

California State University, Sacramento, and University of California, Davis both announced summer courses will be online.

CSU Chancellor Timothy White said Tuesday that the system’s 23 campuses, including Sacramento State, would not reopen in the fall, and that classes will be held “primarily virtual” except for some activities that cannot be delivered remotely.

Potential exceptions could include clinical classes for nursing students and hands-on courses for agriculture, engineering and architecture students.

“Anything done on a campus this fall won’t be as it was in the past, it will be different,” White said.

UC Davis officials said they are developing scenarios where fall instruction can happen in-person and online, and said local and state mandates and directives will drive their final decisions.

“To make planning even more challenging, there is no certainty that whatever conditions and mandates are in place on the first day of the quarter will remain unchanged through the quarter, much less the entire academic year,” read a statement from Chancellor Gary May.

This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 10:40 AM with the headline "Los Rios Community College District announces fall classes will be online."