On Friday, March 13, 2020, Motlow State Community College announced that it will extend Spring Break for students through Sunday, March 22. Classes will resume in an online-only format beginning Monday, March 23, and continue online-only through Sunday, April 5, when an updated operational announcement will be made.
The extension of Motlow’s Spring Break is for students only. Staff report to work in keeping with the instructions from their division leaders. The extension of Spring Break provides both students and the College the needed time to prepare for alternative delivery methods for classes and to deepen the availability of technologies needed to provide remote services should they be needed. The goal of this period is to ensure the well-being of staff, students, and faculty while supporting the academic mission of the institution during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic response.
Motlow has now sanitized its buildings with a Clorox 360 spray. It has also published an updated pandemic plan. The plan frames four distinct operational levels the college will observe and provides details on how those operational levels impact various stakeholders (see the levels listed below).
The move to extend Spring Break currently puts the College at a Level II operational stage. Throughout the pandemic response period, the operational status of the College will be posted on the homepage of Motlow’s website (mscc.edu). The operational level icon that displays at the top of the College’s home page will also link students to more detailed information about the college’s pandemic status. Students are encouraged to take time to review the homepage and the linked coronavirus information page to familiarize themselves with the various stages. Students are also encouraged to take any measures they believe are needed to continue their academic plans online.
The move to return from an extended Spring Break at Level II operations comes with the decision to move to online-only classes through April 5. The current Level II operational status also includes the cancellation of all student extracurricular activities through the end of the month. The College would like to be explicit about the current announcement to operate at Level II status.
— All classes will be held online from March 23 through April 5.
–All student activities are canceled through April 5.
–The current cancellation of student activities includes student travel.
Students should pay special attention to Level II operational status. Level II is adaptably defined to give Motlow flexibility in de-escalating its response. Motlow is currently observing the height of a Level II Operational Status, which is an online-only class delivery mode. It is important to note for the future that Level II may not always include online-only classes. The college could return to some labs, clinicals, and work-learning options.
Motlow’s priorities are to honor the safety and well-being of its students and the employees who serve them. Student success and workforce development are the top priorities at Motlow. The College is pursuing a plan that supports student outcomes while we do our part to protect the local workforce by making an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. Motlow has already been actively integrating new technologies that support its long-term vision. Those plans now help us as we temporarily shift to providing remote student support services and move solely to online instruction during this critical period.
The College has disinfected its facilities, trained staff in new tools, crafted communication resources, and developed a clear plan of action.
