HELENA — Carroll College says it has created an incident command team that is meeting regularly to develop a plan should the virus show up on campus, or in the Helena community.
Carroll officials say in a news release that they have not yet made a decision on whether to move to remote learning and is doing everything possible to continue campus operations including academics, housing, dining services, and campus events until guidance suggests otherwise.
They are in contact with other universities and following the guidance of health authorities. While other colleges across the U.S. -- including in Montana have decided to move to remote learning -- Carroll has not taken this step yet, although preparations are in place.
College adminsitrators say they continue to be in contact with their peer institutions and are following the guidance of health authorities, in this regard. College officials say they recognize that this is a very fluid situation and circumstances may change rapidly.
The college continues to work with its faculty and technology and digital course delivery experts to develop contingency plans should the need arise.
Carroll College plans to do two full-days of testing of their online learning capabilities involving both faculty and students to help ensure that they are well-prepared should they have to suspend in-person classes on March 18 and March 19.
Administrators note that the safety and security of staff and students is a top priority. Current updates about the coronavirus can be found on the CDC website.