MARCH 25, 2020
In the Remote Report, you’ll see important updates, get your questions answered, and learn ways to help us all navigate this new world of mass telecommuting. Issues of the Remote Report will be archived on the District COVID-19 Employee Resource page.

If you have news to share or discovered a tip that helps you work better remotely, pass it on. Please send your items to Anne Krueger , Christianne Penunuri (Cuyamaca College) or Lorena Ruggero (Grossmont College).
The numbers tell the story

















The District continues to carefully monitor the coronavirus situation locally and in California. Statewide, 2,102 positive cases of COVID-19 and 40 deaths have been reported as of March 23.

In San Diego County, as of 5 p.m. yesterday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was at 242, an increase of 12 from Monday. A second county resident has died from the virus, and two infants have been diagnosed with the disease – a 6-week-old boy and a 4-month-old girl.

San Diego County Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten said the cases are increasing daily and she doesn’t expect a downturn anytime soon.

“Things are likely to get worse before they get better. We do not believe that the local wave of COVID-19 cases has yet crested,” said Wooten. “It’s incumbent upon on all of us to do our part to flatten the curve.”

In response to Gov. Newsom’s stay-at-home order and for the health and safety of our students and employees, the Grossmont and Cuyamaca College campuses are closed except for essential employees. Protect your health and let’s flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Addressing Technology Needs
Among the steps taken to ensure employees are able to work remotely has been the distribution of laptops equipped with VPN (Virtual Private Network) that enables users to send and receive data remotely as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network.

These photos show Cuyamaca College Vice President of Student Services Jessica Robinson handing out laptops equipped with VPN to employyes in the parking lot at the college. Deemed an essential employee authorized to work onsite for critical needs at Cuyamaca College, Dr. Robinson has been careful to practice social distancing while performing her duties.
State System Guidance
State Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley has announced a series of actions to help ensure that teaching and learning continues at all 115 community colleges and that students are not penalized academically or financially due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Here is a sample of guidance memos issued:
  • Preliminary Guidance for Hard-to-Convert Courses (PDF)
  • Temporary Suspension of Student Withdrawal Regulations to Address the Continuity of Education in Community Colleges During the COVID-19 Declared State of Emergency (PDF)
  • Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance - Clarification on Apportionments, Withdrawals and Student Fee Refunds (PDF)
  • COVID-19 Guidance – BRN Requirements for Nursing Clinical Hours (PDF)
COVID-19 WEBSITES

Don't forget your breaks
With Zoom meetings supplanting face-to-face gatherings and the loss of “travel time” between meetings, it’s easy to forget the heavy toll that sitting for long periods of time takes on our bodies. Please consider when scheduling meetings or working at home to take pauses throughout the day to stand up, stretch, eat or step outside for brief moments of fresh air.