The two public universities of the city of Valencia, the Polytechnic and the Universitat de València, have suspended their in-person classes this Monday, December 15, until 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, when level 2 of emergencies was decreed due to the risk of flooding due to strong storms. Classes will be taught electronically.
In addition, the Municipal Operational Coordination Center (Cecopal) of the Valencia City Council has agreed to close teaching activity in 35 educational centers, affected by last year’s damage or located in flood-prone areas, determined by the council in the Civil Protection protocol for orange alert situations due to rain. In the rest there will be educational activity as normal.
This was agreed by Cecopal after the coordination meeting held this Sunday afternoon at the Emergency Coordination Center (CCE) in L’Eliana (Valencia), in which the organizations and agencies involved participated, to evaluate the situation over the last few hours. At the meeting it was reported that the forecast of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) is that starting at 06:00 on Monday the alert level can be reduced from red to orange on the northern coast and the northern interior of the province of Valencia, while the southern coast and southern interior of Valencia will go directly to yellow.
This Monday classes are suspended in the centers of districts affected by the dana of October 2024: Nuestra Señora del Rosario-Trinitarias de Castellar-Oliveral, CEIP Forn d’Alcedo, CEIP Padre Manjón, Escola Privada de Música Santa Cecilia de Castellar-Oliveral, Escola Privada de Música C. Instr. Musical Castellar-Oliveral, IES Ravatxol, CEIP Castellar-Oliveral, Private Education Center 1st cycle Sambori and Private Vocational Training Center CFFolgado de Faitanar. The list is completed by the CEE Pub. Rosa Llácer, the Center Priv. Inf. Ed. 1st. Cicle Formiguetes, the Sedajazz Private Music School, the Castellar-Oliveral Popular University Center, the Forn d’Alcedo Popular University Center, the La Torre Popular University Center and the La Torre Occupational Center. Also affected are the centers located in flood-prone areas: the CEIP Camí de l’Horta (Benimàmet-Beniferri), the CEIP José Senent (Massarrojos), the IES Isabel de Villena (València), the CEIP Blasco Ibáñez (València), the Escola Privada de Música El Palmar, the Escola Privada de Música Agrupación Musical Massarrojos, the Center Estranger Valencia Montessori School and the Popular University centers of Poble Nou, Carpesa, Massarrojos and El Palmar. Added to all of them are those from the districts of El Saler and Pinedo, for which this Monday will not be a school day, but they will remain open for students who want to attend.
The University of Valencia has agreed to declare emergency level 2 from 00:01 to 15:00 this Monday and with it the suspension of in-person teaching activity on all its campuses and facilities. The rector of the UV, Mavi Mestre, has made this decision at the proposal of the University’s Emergency Committee, which met this afternoon, so teaching activities will be carried out online whenever possible.
Regarding external and clinical practices, action will be taken in accordance with the instructions of the company or institution where they are carried out, although non-attendance will not have academic repercussions for the student, informs the University. Regarding the rest of the activities (administrative, research, cultural and sports), it is recommended that they be carried out remotely or in teleworking mode.
However, the UV buildings and facilities will remain open during their usual hours and in-person activity will be allowed for those tasks that require it due to their characteristics or the circumstances of the people who carry them out.
The University’s Emergency Committee will monitor the situation and evaluate, before 10:00 a.m., the possibility of extending or modifying the alert levels depending on the weather evolution.
The Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) has suspended classes and in-person activities on the Vera and Gandia campuses due to the red alert for rain that remains in place until 6:00 a.m. In this way, the morning activity, until 2:00 p.m., will be in mode online, as reported by the academic institution on its social media profiles.
Thus, on the Vera and Gandia campuses the classes will be monitored online, The possibility of teleworking will be offered for staff, all academic tests scheduled in the morning will be cancelled, and staff and students who can travel safely will be able to go to the campuses.
However, the UPV has detailed that its facilities will remain open from the end of the red alert, expectedly at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, but has stressed that, as long as the orange alert persists, outdoor activities will be canceled, as well as outdoor work. On the UPV campus in Alcoy (Alicante), teaching this Monday will be in person, with the possibility of online monitoring for those who have to travel from outside the city, and from 2:00 p.m., according to the current forecast of the decay of the alert, activity will be normal, although this situation will be confirmed at 9:00 a.m. on Monday.
This decision to close schools is adopted to avoid the travel of numerous students from outside both urban centers who cross flood-prone areas on their road trips to these schools, according to the City Council note. The centers that are affected by this measure are the CEIP Luis Santangel (El Saler), the IES El Saler, the CEIP Pinedo, the Pinedo Municipal Nursery School and the Pinedo Popular University. On the other hand, the Valencia City Council will keep the three Social Emergency Care Centers (CAES) open on the night from Sunday to Monday and, as all the places are full, it will also open the Benimaclet sports center for homeless people.
