The Hartnell Community College District (HCCD) Board of Trustees voted unanimously Wednesday to authorize Superintendent/President Patricia Hsieh to 鈥渢ake any and all actions necessary to ensure the continuation of public education and the health and safety of the students and employees鈥� across the district.
As a result, Hartnell will close its campuses except for a few essential operations on the Main Campus in Salinas, complying with the shelter-in-place order issued March 17 for all Monterey County residents. The college continues to prepare for a switch to online education on March 23, after Spring Break this week.
Following a closed session to discuss labor relations, the board also voted unanimously to continue paying all Hartnell employees as budgeted while Monterey County remains under a shelter-in-place order through April 7.
This applies to employees who must report to work for necessary on-campus functions, those who will be telecommuting and those whose jobs can鈥檛 be performed remotely.
Under the board鈥檚 resolution, employees who are unable to telecommute will remain 鈥渙n call鈥� and be subject to administrative direction to return to work if needed or be assigned work during their regular hours.
The board opened its meeting by approving a resolution titled 鈥淒eclaring Emergency Conditions and Taking Additional Action in Response to the Threat of COVID-19,鈥� which allows Hsieh to complete the transition to online instruction and student support.
Faculty are using online training resources as they prepare to deliver distance education using such tools as videos, teleconferencing and digital texts. At the same time, student service staff 鈥� nearly all working remotely 鈥� will provide counseling, tutoring, disability and other vital services through online communications.
Hsieh described the two board actions as an expression of trustees 鈥減owerful commitment to students鈥� education and the well-being of our employees while we all work together to cope with the evolving local impact of the coronavirus pandemic.鈥�
鈥淥ur college will continue to work collegially with employee bargaining units to address their concerns while upholding our leading value of always putting 鈥楽tudents First,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淎s always, our highest priority is to protect the health and safety of students, employees and visitors.鈥�
Because the Monterey County shelter-in-place order extends to April 7, Hartnell will continue its plan to provide online education and student support at least through that date, not April 5, as previously announced.
A decision on whether to continue distance education beyond that date will be made next week, Hsieh said.
At the close of Wednesday鈥檚 two-hour meeting, Board of Trustees President Aurelio Salazar Jr. and other trustees expressed appreciation for Hartnell employees鈥� commitment to the health and safety of students, employees and visitors, as well as to students鈥� continued education.
鈥淭he action that the board took demonstrates our commitment to employees and their families,鈥� said Trustee Erica Padilla-Chavez, who represents District 6 in south Monterey County.
鈥淲e recognize that we don鈥檛 just employ individuals; we employ families. Given the public health emergency, it鈥檚 going to require that we apply virtues that we don鈥檛 necessarily carry every day, because we鈥檙e going to be tested in ways that we鈥檝e never been tested before.鈥�