Atlanta HBCUs Will Have No In-Person Classes In The Fall

The coronavirus is devastating Georgia while Governor Brian Kemp is suing Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms over face masks. Now, all four HBCUs in Atlanta will have no in-person classes due to the deadly respiratory disease.

According to WSB-TV, the presidents of Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University all agreed to virtual learning.

Morehouse president Dr. David A. Thomas said in a statement, “As much as I wanted to see the men of Morehouse return to campus for classes on Aug. 19, the spike in COVID-19 cases in Georgia and across the nation, warrants us to change course to protect the health and safety of Morehouse students, faculty, and staff.”

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He continued, “Many of our target enrollment areas are facing outbreaks. And as families use their summer vacation to travel both locally and out of state, Morehouse could not guarantee the well-being of our community for in-person instruction, even with the rigorous safety protocols that we were planning. I believe that continuing online learning is our most prudent path forward.”

Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell also stated, “You may ask why? Why did Spelman change its decision less than three weeks after making the announcement? It was just 19 days ago, on July 1, when we published our plan, fully anticipating that, as summer progressed, the virus would subside. Quite the opposite has been the case. An honest appraisal of the evolving facts compelled us to change course.”

However, Spelman is offering a “10% discount on tuition and an average of 40% on mandatory fees,” according to WSB-TV.

See Spelman’s full update below:
 

Clark Atlanta president Dr. George T. French, Jr. said in part, “However, with the challenging and rapidly changing circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become crystal clear that these plans must evolve again to recognize the newly heightened safety risks associated with COVID-19 in the state of Georgia. The health and safety needs of our students, faculty, and staff remain our top priority and have been a reference point for our planning for the fall.”

The virtual classes will run from Aug. 19 to Nov. 20. No word on if in-person classes will resume in the spring.