As the statewide masking mandate lifts on March 12, SPSCC will continue to require masks indoors through Friday, March 25 (the end of Winter Quarter).

Beginning March 26, face coverings are encouraged inside SPSCC facilities, but not required.

There may be some instances where students or staff are still required to wear masks, such as in clinical settings or in certain classes where a college-approved exception is required.

Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 through Thurston County, and to minimize its spread on campus, SPSCC is reducing the number of staff and students on campus each day by making temporary changes to Winter Quarter on-campus services and instruction.

Instruction Changes

Classes where face-to-face learning is essential may continue to be fully face-to-face or hybrid with a face-to-face component. These classes may include some of our professional technical classes, lab sciences, music, and studio arts.

SPSCC today announced that 95% of the college’s 448 full-time employees, faculty, and adjunct faculty have been vaccinated against COVID-19, one week ahead of the state’s Oct. 18 educator vaccine mandate deadline.

“These numbers reinforce what we already know,” said SPSCC president Dr. Timothy Stokes. “Our staff and faculty care deeply about our students and are willing to do what it takes to keep our students learning and reaching their educational goals.”

Today we learned that an SPSCC staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 after working on the Olympia Campus early last week. Based on what we know about this situation, we believe there is low risk that others on campus were exposed.

This is our understanding of the timeline associated with this case:

Today we learned that an SPSCC staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 after working on the Olympia Campus earlier this week. Based on what we know about this situation, we believe there is low risk that others on campus were exposed.

This is our understanding of the timeline associated with this case:

UPDATED 9/3/21

The form to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination – or request a religious or medical exemption – is now available in the mySPSCC portal (login with ClipperID required).

Students: Even if you attested to your vaccination status before, you now need to submit proof by Sept. 17. Exemptions are available for "in-process", medical, and religious reasons. This requirement is automatically exempted for students taking only online and virtual classes.

Today, Gov. Jay Inslee issued a proclamation re-instating a statewide mask mandate and requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for employees working in K-12, childcare, early learning, and higher education. Per this new requirement, all SPSCC staff and faculty are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 18, 2021.

Earlier today, Thurston County Health Officer Dr. Dimyana Abdelmalek issued a Masking Directive for Thurston County, effective Friday, Aug. 13, at 6 a.m.

In compliance with this directive, face coverings will be required inside all SPSCC buildings beginning Friday morning. This applies to all employees, students, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.

As part of becoming a vaccinated institution, SPSCC is offering more in-person classes in a variety of programs this fall. Face-to-face options are available on our Olympia and Lacey campuses. All classroom settings will follow current COVID guidelines. 

Here are the classes offering in-person options:

BPA111+ - Baking and Pastry Arts

CCS101 - College and Career Success

DENT151+ - Dental Assisting

DRAMA160+ - Drama

ENGL&102 - English

Today we learned that two SPSCC students tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting the Olympia Campus last week. There is no known connection between these two cases and neither student was symptomatic while on campus. Based on what we know about both situations, we believe there is low risk that others on campus were exposed.

This is our understanding of the timeline associated with student 1: