A list of school and college events canceled in the Sacramento area due to coronavirus
In an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, education officials around the Sacramento region are canceling events and ordering college classes be moved to online formats.
Here’s the latest on the growing list of cancellations, postponements and schedule changes for schools, colleges and universities near Sacramento.
Sacramento State classes move online
California State University, Sacramento announced all classes will transition to online delivery for the remainder of the semester in response to concerns about the coronavirus.
The announcement came from university president Robert S. Nelsen on Thursday morning. The decision was made after consulting with the CSU Chancellor’s Office, Sacramento State administration, and Sacramento county health officials.
“In my many years in academia ... this message is the most important and most crucial that I have written,” read the statement. “There has been fear and anxiety around the spread of COVID-19, and we have been making decisions daily in recognition of that reality, many of which have been troubling for our students, faculty, and staff.”
The campus will still remain open and in operation for the rest of the semester, which ends in May.
Dining services, the WELL, counseling services, the library and the University Union will also remain open. Labs, clinics and performing arts classes will continue on as traditional face-to-face classes.
Classes will be suspended March 16-19 for faculty to prepare for the transition. Online courses will begin March 20 through May 14.
San Juan Unified won’t return until April 12
San Juan Unified School District announced Friday it will close all schools effective Monday until April 12. The district shared the information through a Facebook post, and said more details will be available later on their website and through the district’s notification system.
“In coordination with health officials and other local school districts, we have made the decision to close San Juan Unified campuses to students as of Monday, March 16. We will be closed to students through the end of spring break (Sunday, April 12),” read the statement.
San Juan Unified has more than 40,000 students attending. It covers schools in Carmichael, Arden Arcade, Fair Oaks and Citrus Heights.
It is the 11th largest school district in the state.
Elk Grove cancels Thursday events
A day after the Elk Grove Unified School District said it would reinstate academic and athletic events planned for Thursday, the district sent a new email canceling all events for the day.
Classes and activities were abruptly canceled on Saturday when the district, the largest in Northern California, made its announcement to close its schools after discovering that a parent of a child who attends a school in the district was ordered into quarantine by the Sacramento County Public Health Department.
The district later announced Monday evening that a Maeola R. Beitzel Elementary School student tested positive for coronavirus. The student is at home and doing well, said Dr. Peter Beilenson, Sacramento County’s health leader.
School is still out this week for the district, and classes at all Elk Grove Unified schools are expected to resume on Monday.
Natomas Unified closes schools on Friday and Monday
Natomas Unified School District announced on Thursday that it will extend the weekend, closing schools on Friday and Monday.
District officials said no one in Natomas Unified has been diagnosed with the virus, but said that one, possibly two, medically fragile students were in school today with potential symptoms at Natomas High School.
In their released statement, the district said it will reassess over the weekend to determine if schools need to close for a longer period of time.
“This ‘extended weekend’ will involve district leadership working to take all appropriate measures to best secure our medically fragile students and provide all our school community the best path forward to return to school,” read the statement.
The extended weekend will apply to all field trips and extracurricular activities, and next week’s open house events at schools. The after-school program will operate on Thursday.
Sacramento schools still open
A temporary volunteer and substitute teacher who worked at Sutterville Elementary School in February has tested positive for coronavirus, which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, the Sacramento City Unified School District said Wednesday night.
Sacramento Unified Superintendent Jorge Aguilar has been in consultation with Sacramento County Public Health, according to a news release. The school district will continue to follow guidance from county public health officials, so the district’s schools, including Sutterville Elementary, will remain open until further notice.
UC Davis halts in-person final exams
UC Davis is canceling its in-person final exams for the winter quarter, telling students they can take such tests online or complete work in other ways as the university joins others nationwide grappling with how to address the coronavirus pandemic.
The university announced Tuesday that students can complete their finals work through take-home exams or other assignments, or by dropping the final exam and being graded on work they already have completed.
“For courses whose instructors decide not to avail themselves of one of these opportunities, the final examination must be conducted online,” the UC Davis news service wrote, adding that staff and faculty affected by the COVID-19 outbreak can seek time off to deal with the illness for themselves or family.
UC Berkeley cancels in-person classes, goes remote
The university in a Friday announcement said all in-person classes are canceled for the remainder of the spring semester.
Instruction will continue remotely through the end of the semester, UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ said in a message to students.
“For the small number of courses that do not have a remote option,” which would include things like lab classes, “students will need to get guidance from their instructors on how they are adopting social distancing practices,” the statement said.
UC Berkeley said students will receive relief from campus housing and dining fees if they elect to move before the end of the academic year.
The university says it has no known positive cases of COVID-19 within the campus community.
Community colleges: In-person classes at Los Rios still faculty’s call
The four-campus Los Rios Community College District in a tweet Thursday morning said that effective Friday, the district is suspending all face-to-face classes and services to allow for faculty to make the transition to online.
On Wednesday, March 18, all facilities will be closed.
“The rapidly changing community dynamics, particularly over the past 24 hours, (and) the lack of adequate testing to verify our communities’ health status, have made it clear that we must take proactive steps to ensure the health of students & employees,” read the tweet.
The district also canceled all athletic events, as well as shows and other gatherings at Folsom Lake College’s Harris Center theater complex, effective immediately.
Los Rios’ four main campuses are American River, Cosumnes River, Folsom Lake and Sacramento City colleges.
The Sierra College system, which has junior college sites in Rocklin, Grass Valley, Truckee and Roseville, declared a state of emergency Monday in response to the coronavirus outbreak. At the time, Sierra announced that while its campuses will remain open, all lecture instruction must transition to remote delivery using a program called Canvas by no later than next Wednesday.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 11:47 AM.
