Trustees at the Peralta Community College District have approved changes to their academic calendar intended to increase social distancing and protect the community in response to the novel coronavirus.
Trustees voted this week to move up spring break, which had been scheduled for the week of April 13 to 18, to the week of March 16 to 21.
In addition, the trustees switched Flex Day, a faculty training day, from March 19 to March 30.
Peralta Chancellor Regina Stanback Stroud announced that face-to-face classes at the district's four campuses at the Berkeley City College, the College of Alameda and Laney and Merritt colleges in Oakland have been cancelled through the rest of this week.
Peralta officials said canceling the classes this week allows instructional faculty to attend training session at their respective colleges and evaluate optional resources for potentially transitioning their classes to remote forms of instruction as needed.
District officials said the health and safety of members of the Peralta community remains their top priority and they will continue to follow the guidelines and best practices for institutions of higher education as recommended by the Alameda County Public Health Department and other health agencies.
Peralta officials said faculty members who opt to use remote forms of instruction will begin doing so following on March 23, at the end of spring break and continue through April 4.
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The district said faculty members may continue to teach classes face-to-face but they strongly encourage to use remote forms of instruction if possible.
Peralta officials said the four community colleges and district offices will remain open and administration and staff are expected to report to work unless they are ill.
They say they want to maintain academic continuity and proactively take steps to protect the community by reducing the number of people gathered
