Janelle Irwin Taylor
St. Petersburg College, showing up late to the game, is shifting its operations and classes online beginning Wednesday.
The move comes after Florida colleges and universities already announced digital platforms to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
The school is shifting all face-to-face classes and student affairs and support services to an online platform for the duration of the spring semester, which ends at SPC May 8.
The school is also canceling all college-related events until further notice.
The update follows guidance provided March 13 that classes would move online for at least two weeks. Following guidance from local, state and federal health officials regarding social distancing, the school extended that to the duration of the current semester.
The nearby University of South Florida announced Tuesday that in addition to moving to an online platform, the school was also postponing its May commencement ceremonies.
Schools throughout the state are grappling with a new normal after various guidance that’s upended the traditional on-campus interface to a digital world. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday ordered all K-12 schools closed until April 15, extending his previous two-week mandate.
The move left school districts scrambling this week to set up online platforms for an extended period to allow students to continue their learning from the safety of their homes. Resources are being directed to provide computers to students who need them and training for teachers to apply their lessons online.
Meanwhile, Florida Department of Education on Tuesday sent a release that included a number of directives. Among them was the cancellation of school board and state college trustee board meetings through June 30, except under narrow emergency circumstances.
Florida now has 314 confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to the Florida Department of Health coronavirus dashboard. Another 954 tests are still pending, which means the number is likely to continue to increase.
