AFT1493 All Faculty Petition To Ensure Counselors’ Safe Return

SMCCCD Trustees, Chancellor Mike Claire, Cañada President Kim Lopez, College of San Mateo President Jennifer Taylor-Mendoza, Skyline President Melissa Moreno

Counseling faculty are being required to return to on-campus work as early as next week—without clear communication about why they are being asked to return, and without specific information about how the District will make sure they and their students are safe. Please sign this petition to tell the District that they must provide clear information about the rationale for return-to-campus requirements, must involve counselors in the decision-making process about returning to campus this Fall and must ensure counselors' work environments are safe.


To: SMCCCD Trustees, Chancellor Mike Claire, Cañada President Kim Lopez, College of San Mateo President Jennifer Taylor-Mendoza, Skyline President Melissa Moreno
From: [Your Name]

AFT1493 All Faculty Petition To Ensure Counselors’ Safe Return

San Mateo Community College District Administrators and Board members: Make fair and consistent decisions for counselors’ return to campus!

Counselors in SMCCCD are being required to come back to campus to provide in-person counseling in Fall 2021. However, the policies and processes about who will come back and when are completely inconsistent across the three campuses. At Skyline, counselors are being required to come back to provide 25% of appointments in person, starting September 20th. At Canada, counselors will be required to return in person on October 4th. At CSM, counselors were told they could volunteer to start in-person services at some point in October.

Our counselor colleagues were not asked for their input and they did not have the opportunity to take part in the decision-making processes regarding their return. They are not clear about the rationale behind the different dates and protocols that have been decided for them—and that seriously impact their lives and their students’ lives. Neither the District nor the local administration have addressed COVID-related health concerns specific to faculty with counseling duties.

We call on San Mateo Community College District Administrators & Board to:

-Create a District-wide plan for the return of in-person counselors that is consistent across the three campuses for Fall 2021.
-Commit to making all decisions around dates for return and the process of deciding who will return transparent, with input from counselors.
-Conduct a District-wide survey that assesses current students’ needs for in-person counseling services and share the results with counselors.
-Work together with representatives of counseling departments at all three campuses to ensure the following: the safety of counseling spaces, clarity about appointment policies and protocols around mask mandate enforcement.
-Allow counselors to assess their personal level of risk were they to return to on-campus work.
-Immediately implement a District-wide system that verifies the vaccination status of students.