Due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the DFW metroplex, Collin College is altering its academic calendar and some policies to protect students, faculty and staff. The college is implementing the following changes.

• Wintermester classes, which are set to take place from Dec. 14-Jan. 6, will now be offered 100% online with no in-person option.
• The college’s winter break will now run from Dec. 21-Jan. 3. Previously, the break was set to be from Dec. 24 to Jan. 3.
• Full-time staff employees will work remotely during the weeks of Dec. 14-18, 2020, and Jan. 4-8, 2021
• Part-time employees will generally not work from Dec. 14-Jan. 11 unless “specifically requested by their supervisor to fulfill an essential role during the closure,” said Marisela Cadena-Smith, Collin College director of marketing and communications.
• Collin College campuses will fully reopen to serve students Jan. 11, 2021, at which time they will offer assistance in admissions, advising, and financial aid offices for the spring 2021 semester.

During the period campuses are closed, the college will take two notable safety measures: deep-clean all its facilities and install “new air cleaning technologies that will virtually eliminate airborne contaminants, similar to those found in hospitals,” according to a press release.

While Collin College is not offering a COVID-19 dashboard, this week, the college began publishing two spreadsheets of self-reported student and faculty COVID-19 data. This came following posts on social media from Collin College students and faculty who were concerned about the lack of available information about cases across Collin College’s campuses.

The spreadsheets will be updated weekly, Cadena-Smith wrote in an email.

Currently, all COVID-19 student data is solely self-reported, according to Cadena-Smith and the Collin College website.

Collin College “does not conduct its own testing of students or employees, nor does the college have health clinics,” Cadena-Smith wrote in an email. COVID-19 testing is not mandatory for students or employees of the college at this time.