22/03/2020
The concerns about the coronavirus have spread to law schools, with schools across the country canceling in-person classes or announcing full closures.
New York Law School was the first to shut down because of the coronavirus on March 4, according to Law.com.
It closed last week for disinfecting after a law student interacted with an attorney who tested positive for coronavirus. That student later tested negative, but law school dean Anthony Crowell told Law.com on Monday that law schools should maintain “supportive and non-judgmental structures” to ensure a quick response to potential exposures.
“We sent mass communications on our status at regular intervals, and we hosted several large group conference calls with all faculty and staff and maintained regular contact with student leaders,” he said. “This helped us maintain trust and instill confidence in and accountability for our approach.”
The University of Washington also announced it would conduct classes online through March 30, the start of its spring quarter. Law.com reports one first-year law student was in self-quarantine after possible exposure to the coronavirus.
Over the weekend, Hofstra University said it would cancel in-person classes this week. Stanford University also announced its classes would move online until March 30 and Columbia University announced it would suspend classes Monday and Tuesday before shifting classes online for the rest of the week.
A faculty member who works in the medical clinic at Stanford University tested positive for the coronavirus, Law.com reports.
On Monday, Fordham University suspended in-person classes through Tuesday and said they would resume online Wednesday. Law school dean Matthew Diller told students in a message reported by Law.com there are no confirmed coronavirus cases at the university, but all on-campus law school events are canceled until March 29.
“We will be working to maintain as many services as possible—food service, career services, student
Dan Rodriguez, a professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, is pulling together a online, pop-up class on the legal aspects of the COVID-19 outbreak.
