NMC set to reopen today; PSS aiming for Nov. 15 target

The Northern Marianas College will be reopening its campus today, while the CNMI Public School System has tentatively set its reopening date on Nov. 15.

In separate announcements last Friday, NMC said it will be resuming classes today, with guidance from the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force. PSS said it is preparing its schools and taking all necessary precautions to reopen schools for in-person learning.

In an email message to its students and faculty, NMC president Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero urged the NMC community to take note of the following advisories: supervisors are authorized to allow teleworking and/or continued virtual/online learning on a case-by-case basis through Nov. 12; everyone on campus should follow NMC’s COVID-19 mitigation procedures and protocols; NMC remains committed to keeping campus facilities clean; each should do their part in helping limit the spread of COVID-19 in the community; and to stay informed via official sources.

Deleon Guerero acknowledged that some members of the NMC community may still feel uneasy with returning in-person to campus, and added that there may be some students having challenges in securing childcare for PSS students while PSS works toward its tentative Nov. 15 reopening date.

For these reasons, Deleon Guerrero said that supervisors are allowed to authorize telework, and instructors are allowed to continue virtual/ online learning for the week of Nov. 8 to 12. Deleon Guerrero added that employees must secure approval from their supervisors to go through with telework/online learning and that students must wait on official word from their instructors about continuing on with online learning.

Deleon Guerrero urged everyone who will be on campus this week to wear masks, practice social distancing, wash their hands regularly, and he reminded all employees and face-to-face students “to get vaccinated as recently mandated.”

He added that all facilities, fixtures, and furniture have undergone deep cleaning and sanitation in the past week, and that instructors and students are advised to refrain from moving furniture around as they have been placed in such ways to ensure social distancing.

For further information on the dynamic and quickly evolving situation, Deleon Guerrero encouraged the NMC community to monitor official sources with the latest information, which include NMC’s emails, website at marianas.edu, and social media platforms @nmc.proa on Facebook and Instagram and @GoProa on Twitter; announcements from the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.; and announcements from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Deleon Guerrero likened the NMC community to a proa, which is an indigenous canoe that is also the college’s logo. Deleon Guerrero said that learning comes first and that the NMC proa “has endured turbulent waters” several times before.

“As I often say, our proa has endured turbulent waters, but we continue to sail through it all, no matter what comes our way. And as we sail ahead with a focus on learning first, let us lift the tide for everyone,” he said.

Acting Education commissioner Eric M. Magofna put out a memorandum last Friday, saying that PSS’ target date to reopen schools for in-person learning is tentatively set for Nov. 15. He said “the rigorous implementation of deep cleaning and COVID spraying with vendors in all our schools and offices will require ample time to complete,” hence the Nov. 15 target date.

Magofna reiterated that the safety and protection of PSS’ students are paramount, and that PSS leaders will welcome back its students “with a high standard of precautionary measures and care in all our schools.”

Magofna said that PSS will soon be broadcasting an update to confirm the target date for reopening schools for in-person learning.