Coronavirus actions

After extending its spring break by one week, Kankakee Community College will move most face-to-face instruction online March 23.

“This action is to reduce potential pathways for community spread of coronavirus (COVID-19),” said Kari Nugent, KCC director of marketing and public relations.

The spring break, currently underway, will be extended for students until March 23. Beginning on March 23, faculty will teach their classes online or electronically.

“We are all focused on a single thing,” said KCC’s president, Michael Boyd. “We are focused on helping our students finish. We want to help them get to the finish line on time. We are going to rally around our students and get them the training they need, the technology that they need and the support that they need to learn well in online environments.”

The college’s faculty and staff will resume their normal work schedule the week of March 16. There will be no classes in any format that week, to allow faculty, staff and students time to make the adjustment to online delivery. Beginning on March 23 through April 20 faculty will teach lecture classes online. Some labs will continue to meet in person and clinicals will continue as allowed by the host sites.

The website coronavirus.kcc.edu has resources and will be updated as information becomes available. “Students are asked to use this site as a starting point of information for KCC’s actions and plans,” Nugent said.

“I realize this is a major disruption of the academic operation. I’ve made these decisions with all the current information available from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and in consultation with other Illinois community college presidents, KCC’s administrative and faculty leadership teams,” Boyd said in an email to students. “We feel it is the best way to minimize the risk of spreading the virus. It is our hope that temporarily moving to the online environment will minimize the spread of the virus, while still pursuing our educational mission.”

The college will continue to monitor the situation, Boyd said. The college will consult with public health authorities regarding conditions and the possibility of resuming face-to-face instruction.