Information that students were not surveyed before the upcoming vote at the Covid Task Force meeting scheduled for Friday, March 18, was mentioned in the El Camino College Academic Senate meeting on Tuesday, March 15.

In a discussion over agenda items, the topic of El Camino’s mask mandate was brought up to the Senate regarding the collection of feedback from faculty and staff members on whether or not to adhere to Los Angeles County’s decision to lift its mask mandate.

Within the discussion between Senate members, the question of whether students were among those surveyed was brought up by professor Nancilyn Burruss in the public chat and addressed by Academic Senate President, Darcie McClelland.

McClelland explained that the Academic Senate is collecting feedback from specifically staff and faculty as well as her own students on the issue of mask mandates and that students are sitting on the Covid Task Force who are “responsible for representing their students.”

However, President of the El Camino College Federation of Teachers Kelsey Iino, brought up that she thought the district would be sending out questionnaires to survey the student population over their own concerns about the mask mandate but nothing went out.

Iino clarified that the Associated Students Organization (ASO) does not have access to all student emails so they would not be able to reach the student body as a whole.

“So what was said is that the district was going to do something to make sure that [the students] got surveyed, but they didn’t,” said Iino.

Editor’s Note: Added proper byline on March 16, 2022 at 9:34 a.m.