Two organizations that have helped enroll more than 300,000 students at over 80 historically Black colleges and universities have set an Aug. 25 date to begin setting the schools’ reopening plans in motion.
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund and United Negro College Fund have partnered with Testing for America to help safely reopen the schools during the pandemic by working collectively with their member schools to prepare plans for crisis management and stabilization.
“All institutions must be able to test when they reopen for in-person instruction — whether this fall or 2021,” said UNCF President and CEO Michael L. Lomax. “TFA’s ability to link us to high-quality providers, coupled with other safety guidance and financial support, will bring necessary, continuous, and reliable testing to entire campus communities. We are happy to partner with TFA on this critical work to help our campuses and students successfully navigate this pandemic.”
Testing for America, a nonprofit organization with a mission to permanently reopen businesses, schools and the U.S. economy, will also be supporting HBCUs by offering COVID-19 testing plans for students, faculty and staff in partnership with UNCF and TMCF.
Fall reopenings for the schools will include strict enforcement of social distancing, mandatory masks, contact tracing and in-person classes.
In addition, special accommodation dormitories that offer quarantine and isolation for students who test positive will be offered.