LIBERAL – The spring semester is underway at Seward County Community College and it was full speed ahead on Monday. Students and instructors started remote learning while there was a second round of COVID testing.

For the first week, SCCC classes will strictly be remote learning only. Students and instructors are interacting through virtual classrooms to start of the semester. The reasoning behind the decision is to make sure that there was no COVID outbreak or spike on campus.

A week before classes began, dorm residents, mostly student-athletes, were tested and the results were good. Of the 68 students tested, only one was positive.

A second round of testing took place on Monday for the rest of the dorm residents. If results, which should be known by Wednesday, are as good as the first round, it is expected that in-person learning will start on Tuesday, January 19.

If things do take a turn for the worse and there are significant positive results, in-person classes will be pushed back until SCCC President Brad Bennett was pleased with the results.

“It’s a great start to the semester,” Bennett said. “I think it shows that our students are focused on safety protocols and trying to do everything they can to stay safe. We know things can change, but it’s good news.”