Dallas College will hold most of its Spring 2021 semester classes primarily online, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Chancellor Joe May made the announcement in collegewide emails to students, staff and faculty Sept. 18.

May said the college wants to continue to provide our students with access to a high-quality education. “Considering this, along with our ongoing efforts to ensure your safety and wellbeing, we have decided to maintain a mostly online teaching environment for the Spring 2021 semester,” May said.

In a Facebook post, Scarlett May, an English professor at Dallas College Brookhaven Campus, reacted to the news saying: “I’m grateful Dallas College is following the science and working hard to keep students, staff and faculty safe. This is confirmation that our ‘new normal’ isn’t going to end with 2020.”

While the majority of classes will be online, May said the college will continue to offer specialized career and technical education courses and utilize a hybrid approach to provide limited general education courses. “We will continue working with faculty to ensure we are safely conducting these courses in an on-campus environment that adheres to CDC guidelines and the protocols our Critical Response team has implemented.​” May said.

The decision is expected to assist partner independent school districts in making their own decisions for the Spring 2021 semester as they continue to modify operations for the current semester, May said. Their decisions affect Dallas College students in high schools taking dual-credit courses and attending P-TECH Early College High Schools.

Self-reporting of temperature and health status, facilities deep cleaning and adhering to social distancing guidelines will continue to be part of the college’s on-campus operations, May said. The college will continue to be in contact with local and government healthcare professionals to monitor the situation. “While our current goal is to offer classes primarily online for the Spring, we acknowledge that the plan remains fluid so that we have maximum flexibility should we need to make any immediate shifts in response to the pandemic,” May said.