Updates

The federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, expired on May 11, 2023. Accordingly, Houston Community College has officially ended its COVID-19 communications and reporting protocols, established to safeguard the health of our students and employees.

On January 2, HCC announced that the Omicron variant surge led the institution to announce a shift in operations, support services and instruction for the month of January. This message is to help you better understand how the decision may impact your courses from January 18 – January 29.

As you are aware, there is a surge in the highly contagious Omicron variant which is causing a rise in COVID-19 cases across the country, including the Houston area. The Houston Community College (HCC) Incident Management Team (IMT) is closely monitoring this condition with the intent of promoting your good health and safety and creating an environment that is conducive to delivering a quality education and experience for our students.

Based on community data, HCC is changing its COVID status from Red to Orange. Starting Saturday, Nov 6, you’ll notice a few changes in our COVID-19 response protocols.

Today we bring back all in-person, hybrid and lab courses for in-person instruction at our College campuses. This may be the first time in more than a year and a half for some of our students, faculty and staff to be on campus. For others, it may be the first time ever.

When HCC announced changes to the start of the Fall 2021 semester, we committed to providing an update on our operational plans resulting from high-risk levels of COVID-19 in the Houston area. Today we are announcing the in-person start for most face-to-face classes will be delayed another two weeks.

This week HCC announced changes to the start of courses for the Fall. There are three ways to learn how these changes will impact how your Fall courses will work for the first four weeks of school.

With COVID-19 levels in the Houston area continuing to rise, HCC is taking additional action to safeguard our community for the start of the Fall 2021 semester. Campus locations will continue to be open, and classes will still begin on Monday, August 23. However, there will be some changes in effect for at least the first four weeks of the semester which will likely impact you.

As you are likely aware, COVID-19 cases are rising across the country, including in the Houston area. We continue to monitor the situation closely, keeping the same objectives of safety, support for our community, and access to quality education at the forefront of our decision making.

Houston Community College’s Acres Homes and Central campuses will be COVID-19 vaccination sites on Wednesday, May 19 through Saturday, May 22 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The vaccines are administered by the Texas National Guard at no cost to the public, in partnership with the Texas Department of Emergency Management.

Effective immediately, face coverings are no longer required at HCCS facilities. The action is in response to Governor Abbott’s Executive Order #36. We are addressing appropriate changes to signage for our COVID-19 protocols. Your safety remains our top priority, therefore HCC highly recommends students, faculty, staff and visitors continue to observe the three W’s (washing hands often, watching social distance and wearing masks). While masks are no longer required, HCC will continue to make mas

Anticipating that the spread of COVID-19 infection will continue to significantly diminish, that vaccination efforts will prove effective in preventing serious or deadly illness, and that restrictions for public gatherings and prevailing public health guidelines for physical distancing will be eased, Houston Community College is preparing for in-person instruction at 30 percent in the summer 2021 and up to 60 percent during fall 2021 semester.

Prior to the start of the Spring 2021 semester, HCC announced changes to course delivery for our Flex Campus and select Lab-Based courses. Changes were effective from the start of the semester through Spring Break. The following decisions have been made for how these classes will be delivered for the remainder of the Spring semester.

Starting next week (after the President’s Day holiday), we will expand access to in-person student support services to five days per week!

With the COVID-19 risk level in the Houston area remaining high, HCC continues to take precautions to safeguard our community while also continuing to deliver on our mission. As we bring the Fall semester to a close and prepare for the holidays, I want to share a few updates about plans for instructional delivery and student support for the Spring 2021 semester.

With the COVID-19 risk level in the Houston area rising, HCC is taking precautions to further limit on-campus activity for the start of the Spring 2021 semester. This includes changes to course delivery for our Flex Campus and select Lab-Based courses, as well as changes to the availability of in-person student support services.

We are happy to share that additional support services will be available for in-person appointments at select HCC campus locations.

If you are planning to come to campus for your lab-based courses or an appointment with Student Services, there are some important things for you to know.

We shared last week that we will start to bring select Students Services back to campus for in-person access by appointment only. To make sure you understand how to access these services and requirements if you’re on campus, we want to provide additional detail.

As we finalize plans for in-person instruction this Fall, we continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic in the Houston area with your safety being our primary consideration. Since the COVID-19 Risk Level for Harris County remains Level 1 (or Red), we made the decision to further adjust our Fall plan.

We are so excited to welcome you (or welcome you back) to HCC for the Fall 2020 semester! We are committed to doing everything we can to help ensure this semester is a success for you, despite the challenging times we find ourselves in. We’ve put together a Fall 2020 Student Toolkit which we strongly recommend you read ASAP.

Update for Fall 2020 Semester from the Chancellor.

HCC made modifications to our Fall schedule so we can provide safe, flexible options for our students and faculty.

Update from the Chancellor on HCC's operating status during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

March 6: Video Update from the Chancellor.

Campus Update, Travel Restrictions and Self Quarantine Measures from the Chancellor.

Spring Break Extension Memorandum from the Chancellor.

Memorandum from the Chancellor on COVID-19 Possible Exposure and Two HCC Campus Closures.

To minimize confusion from yesterday's communications regarding the closing of Coleman and the Fraga Academic Building, HCC has decided to cancel all classes today through Spring Break for students.

Memorandum from the Chancellor regarding Updates on HCC COVID-19 Plans: Extension of Re-Opening Date, Update on Coleman & Fraga, & Next Steps.

A reminder about HCC's Travel, Self-Quarantine & Self-Reporting Requirements during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

March 26: Video Update from the Chancellor.

Helpful Reminders from Student Services for Students Before Online Classes Start.

Congratulations on Week One & Helpful Updates from Student Services.

HCC is implementing a temporary change to our grading policy for all Spring 2020 classes.

Get the latest from the Chancellor on HCC’s response to COVID-19 and what it means for students, faculty and staff.

Updates regarding Spring Graduation and Summer Enrollment.

Watch the Welcome Back Video from the Chancellor.

Important updates on Summer and Fall Registration.

Chancellor's memo on HCC Reopening Approach - Safe Options.

Overview of HCC’s Remote Operating Schedule

March 5: Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) Memo from the Chancellor