Howard College Board announce Open Howard College plan in response to Gov. Abbott’s Executive Order

During a special meeting Thursday afternoon, the Howard County Junior College District Board of Trustees discussed possible reactions to Governor Greg Abbott’s executive order releasing the state from COVID-19 restrictions and decided to maintain Howard College’s restrictions related to the pandemic through the end of the school year.

Howard College President Dr. Cheryl Sparks said the decision stems from the college’s open interactions with the local community.

“I recommended to the board that we continue the current protocols through the spring semester. I based that recommendation on several factors,” said Howard College President Dr. Cheryl Sparks. “The college campus has a lot of movement on it. You have students that are coming from different communities. You have students who are living in dorms. You have students that are health profession students that are going to hospitals, nursing homes, even the prisons in some situations. You have cosmetology labs, you have dental hygiene clinics. Because we are a community college, we do everything we can to try to reach out to our community. So, we have been trying to maintain a safe and healthy environment but inching back toward normalcy in any way we can. Being a community college, part of that is being open to your community in any way that we can.”

A statement on the Howard College website confirms the decision: “Until further notice, Howard College will continue to follow the current Open Howard College plan regarding mask and capacity requirements. Faculty, staff, students, and community members will be notified if changes and/or updates to the policy are made.”

The plan includes asking staff, students, visitors and others accessing the campus to self-screen and stay home if they exhibit COVID-19 symptoms; requiring students and employees to report COVID-19 symptoms, positive COVID-19 tests and/or contact with COVID-19 sufferers; requiring face masks when social distancing of at least six feet separation cannot be achieved; hand washing or sanitizing upon entering campus or following interactions with others; and other restrictions as posted on the Howard College website at howardcollege.edu.

At the start of the meeting. Howard

College science faculty member Dr. Steven Hobbs urged the board to maintain its restrictions related to COVID-19. Hobbs noted that, as of Wednesday, there were 9.34 million active cases of COVID-19 in the United States. He went on to say that the mortality rate for the disease is 3.4 percent, meaning that more than 316,000 of those currently positive for the disease will die as a result. Mask-wearing could cut that death toll to fewer than 114,000 deaths, he said.

“Wearing a mask will decrease these numbers by 65 percent,” he said. “Proper social distancing with adequate airflow transverse to the individuals talking can reduce that by 90 percent. The former is easy to do. The latter is difficult in building such as Howard College, even with fewer faceto-face students.”

The College Board’s next regular meeting will be held March 29.