Students heading to College of the Canyons this fall will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 per the direction of the college’s governing board, according to a statement released by the college Friday afternoon.
On Aug. 11, the Santa Clarita Community College District (SCCCD) Board of Trustees approved a resolution requiring mask wearing in all indoor spaces. The resolution also requires being vaccinated against COVID-19 or weekly submitting a negative COVID-19 test to access COC’s campuses and facilities.
“As the Delta variant rages on, we are mindful of our responsibility to take infection prevention precautions as we continue working to protect the health and wellbeing of students, faculty, and staff, as well as maintaining higher education access, engagement, and success for our students and the Santa Clarita Valley,” said COC Chancellor Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook in a prepared statement.
All district employees on campus will be required to either provide proof of vaccination or a negative test result within three calendar days prior to Aug. 23, or their first day of class, according to a statement released by the district Friday afternoon.
All students attending in-person classes will be required to either provide proof of vaccination or be subject to weekly testing starting the week of Aug. 23.
“The vaccination policy provides flexibility for students who elect not to be vaccinated. They can opt for weekly COVID-19 testing, or they can enroll in online classes if they prefer,” said Eric Harnish, a college spokesman.
Harnish told The Signal that the college will provide “more details and complete instructions next week on how employees and students can submit their vaccination verification or COVID-19 test results.”
COC plans to continue hosting a COVID-19 testing site in the Valencia Campus parking garage on the corner of Rockwell Canyon Road and Valencia Blvd from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, to facilitate weekly testing for unvaccinated COC employees and students.
A free, on-campus vaccination site for students and staff will be located in front of the student center beginning Aug. 16 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
“As the district works toward the safe resumption of increased on-campus learning, working and other activities, it embraces a comprehensive strategy designed to reduce the likelihood of transmission of the COVID-19 virus,” SCCCD Board of Trustees President Dr. Edel Alonso said in a statement.
Approximately one-third of the 2,000 classes offered this fall semester at College of the Canyons will be on campus.
The district said in a statement it will continue to follow the direction of state and county public health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
