Suffolk County Community College’s reopening plan for the fall 2020 semester has been approved by the State University of New York (SUNY), Interim College President Louis Petrizzo said in a message to the college last week. Classes for the fall semester will occur in four modes of instruction with several safety guidelines.

The college will offer both in-person and online classes in four modes:

1. Online
Content is delivered online with no required same time class meetings.

2. Remote, real-time live
Online "web conference style" courses meet at scheduled times, and students are required to be present online as noted in their schedule.

3. Hybrid/Blended
Partially online, partially on-campus courses with scheduled in-person times with social distancing measures in place as guided by the state and local officials.

4. In-person
Small, in-person classes for courses that require hands-on experiences, such as science labs, that must meet New York State Education Department or other accreditation requirements with courses scheduled in appropriate rooms and spaces which meet social distancing requirements.

"The plan crafted by the college is intended to ensure that we are able to continue to deliver an affordable, quality education to our community in the safest possible environment," said Petrizzo.

In addition to the four modes that classes will be offered, hand sanitizing, social distancing, and face masks will all be part of the return to campus for students, faculty, and staff. College employees physically working on campuses will be subject to daily health screenings.

Small group instruction may also be on a rotating basis and will allow for reduced population density and proper physical distancing.

Fall classes begin Sept. 2.