Updates & FAQs about COVID-19 and Continuing Education at Seattle Central College

Covid

UPDATED on May 5, 2020; 12:40 PM:

Yesterday, Governor Jay Inslee officially extended the Stay Home – Stay Healthy order through at least May 31. Although he announced a plan for a phased recovery, the date when we can resume in-person classes is unknown and will not be known for some time. Therefore, we have decided that Continuing Education classes will be conducted online for summer quarter. The health of our community continues to be our top priority.

Although this is a big change from normal operations, online classes have been quite successful. We are grateful to students and instructors for their flexibility in using technology to make high quality learning experiences possible. A large variety of online classes and workshops will be published on our website starting Tuesday, May 26.

If you’d like to aid Seattle Central College students needing support at this time, please visit the Seattle Colleges’ COVID-19 Emergency Fund.

UPDATED on March 26, 2020; 12 PM:

In compliance with Gov. Inslee’s "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order, Seattle Colleges (Central, North and South) is closed to the public and only operating essential services at physical locations until midnight April 6. Seattle Colleges will provide more information about operation and working conditions beyond April 7 as it becomes available. See Seattle Central College updates. 

The Continuing Education website has been updated and all classes are online for spring. Instructors have worked hard to adapt their classes to a live, interactive, online format. Many of our professional development classes are already online, self-paced and instructor-led. Classes that did not adapt well to an online format have been cancelled for spring quarter.

See an overview of spring classes and new classes -- all online.

We hope you and your loved ones are staying as safe and healthy as possible! Our gratitude goes out to anyone on the front lines providing essential services and to everyone for supporting each other and the community.

Covid FAQs

 

UPDATED on March 19, 2020; 4:30 PM:
Due to King County Health recommendations, spring Continuing Education classes will be held, or in alternative formats, stating April 6. 

Check back for more information about classes that will be offered in an online format for spring. Read below for recent updates.

Seattle Central College remains closed in response to Coronavirus until March 30 with very limited access to on-site services only after that. We will continue to operate remotely until April 24.

Thank you for your flexibility and resilience at this unusual time!

UPDATED on March 17, 2020; 3:45 PM:

We know this is a difficult and unsettling time and hope everyone is doing as well as possible under the circumstances. Seattle Central College has closed in response to Coronavirus, and will continue to operate remotely until April 24. Read on for our most recent updates. We will continue to update this page, so please check back and you can also join our email newsletter to stay in touch. Thank you all for your flexibility in responding to this unusual situation and take care!

Winter classes have moved online or to an another arrangement.

For spring classes, we are working with instructors to make alternate plans for in-person classes. Many classes are moving to a live online interactive format. Other classes will be postponed and scheduled to begin after April 26, as long as it is safe to do so at that time.

Although we hope to resume offering in-person classes as soon as possible, the health of our community is our top priority. We will keep this page updated with current information and contact enrolled students promptly if plans change.

PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDELINES
Please follow the current Local Health Orders and public health guidelines from:

Other resources:

POSTED on Thursday, March 12, 2:45 PM

Students have been asking questions about what to expect in response to Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19), so we wanted to share the following information. Thank you for your flexibility and resilience at this time! Contact us if you have any other questions and we will do our best to share information in a timely manner.

Is my winter class cancelled?

Seattle Colleges is moving to remote operations on Friday, March 13 at 5 p.m. through Friday, April 24. The decision covers the Broadway Edison, Science and Math, Fine Arts, and Mitchell Activity Center buildings, and the Wood Technology Center in the Central District. Exceptions include Seattle Maritime Academy and the Health Education Center.

Continuing Education is working with each instructor to determine what changes, if any, are necessary for the remaining winter class sessions. Courses are using alternative modes, when possible. For current students, as soon as we have information, we are sending out email communication with updates about your class. You might also receive a phone call as we will make every effort to relay information in a timely manner.

We have based this decision on King County Public Health's advice to avoid gatherings, especially of vulnerable populations. With that said, some of our classes are quite small and may meet as scheduled during the week of March 9-13.

Please look for our email communication regarding your specific class, or contact us for more information.

Will I receive a refund?

While our policy states that we do not offer refunds for cancelled classes as a result of events beyond our control, we recognize that these are unusual circumstances. If you had two or more remaining sessions of your class, we are offering refunds reflecting the prorated cost of those sessions.

With the quarter winding down, many Continuing Education classes had a single class session left. In this situation, we are unable to offer a prorated refund. Given the number of classes and students impacted, processing partial refunds simply isn't possible for everyone.

What if my class isn’t cancelled but I’m uncomfortable attending?

King County Public Health has recommended that any gatherings of more than 9 people be cancelled in light of COVID-19 concerns. Some of our classes are quite small and may meet as scheduled March 9-13. However, please use your own judgment in determining whether to attend class.

I’m an au pair and registered for Continuing Education Units (CEUs). My last class was cancelled and I can’t get my instructor signature. What happens now?  Will I get my hours?

If your class has been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns and you are unable to get your instructor's signature on the CEU form, please email us a copy of your CEU form. Your instructor will provide the attendance roster which we will use to issue your credits in lieu of an instructor's signature. Because this cancellation is based on circumstances beyond your control, we will be including the hours of cancelled classes in calculating your CEUs.

Is Seattle Central College campus still open?

The Seattle Central College campus and the Continuing Education office remain open through Friday, March 13th at 4:30 pm. (the campus closes at 5 p.m.).

Beginning Monday, March 9, Seattle Colleges announced that classes at all three campuses would be moving from in-person classroom instruction to the appropriate alternative modality for each class when possible. This will continue through the end of the winter quarter (March 27). The move is in accordance with the COVID-19 recommendations from Public Health, Seattle and King County, to reduce large numbers of people coming together at the same time. Please see Seattle Colleges web page regarding the Coronavirus for updates: http://seattlecolleges.edu/district/emergencies/coronavirus.aspx

Are spring classes going to be cancelled?

No. At this time, spring classes have not been impacted by circumstances related to COVID-19. If there are any changes to the status of classes, we will update our website and make every effort to update registered students as promptly as possible, via email and/or phone. If a class is cancelled before it begins, students will receive a full refund. Read more about our cancellation and refund policy.

Can I still register for spring classes?

Yes, absolutely! Browse spring classes. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We’ll be happy to help you!

Many thanks to our colleagues at Continuing Education North Seattle College for writing the original post that makes up the majority of the content of this article, and granting us permission to share it with edits and adaptations.