San Jose State Reopening Monday

SAN JOSE, CA -- Students and faculty will return to campus Monday, as San Jose State University reopens for classes.

"We have received a number of inquiries and requests for reconsideration of our announcement that the campus will be open for classes (Monday). We truly respect the thoughtful perspectives that were shared by many SJSU students and other university community members. Decisions to close a campus are never made lightly. The needs and well-being of SJSU’s students, faculty, and staff, as well as the surrounding community, are paramount in any discussion regarding the operation of the campus.

A compelling case for closure was made this past week, and we responded by closing the institution last Thursday and Friday. We made the decision to close as the Air Quality Index (AQI) levels were approaching the very unhealthy (above 200) range. Since that time the levels have dropped markedly. While the air quality in the San Jose area is currently in the unhealthy range, the AQI readings this evening are much improved over what they were Thursday and Friday, and the forecast is for continued improvement over the next couple of days.

As previously stated, we encourage any students experiencing health issues to seek medical advice, and we discourage prolonged outdoor activity while the air quality is still less than ideal. However, barring any unforeseen worsening of air quality conditions in the coming hours we anticipate that campus will be available and open, and classes will be in session tomorrow and Tuesday as scheduled. We will continue to monitor conditions and communicate to the university community should conditions change," Charlie Faas, vice president, administration and finance, said in a statement following an earlier announcement of notifying staff and students reopening over the weekend.

De Anza College in Cupertino is also closed Monday. A decision on reopening Tuesday is expected by 2 p.m.

The smoke is coming from the Camp Fire, which started Nov. 8, continues to burn in Butte County, threatening 14,500 structures after destroying more than that over 149,500 acres. So far, 77 people have been confirmed dead. It was estimated to be 65 percent contained Sunday evening.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District expects Bay Area air quality to remain in the "unhealthy" range into Tuesday but improve. Air quality throughout the entire Bay Area from San Jose north to Santa Rosa and beyond was rated as "unhealthy" according to the Air Quality Index (AQI).

--Image courtesy of San Jose State University; Bay City News contributed to this report.