The Dade City Campus of Pasco-Hernando State College is quiet as schools remain closed due to the coronavirus, but some students still demand to be heard.

“We’re in a global pandemic, so we need nursing staff,” said Lexie Reid, a third-semester nursing student at Pasco-Hernando State College. 

When she heard the virus may impact graduation dates, she, along with some other students and outside sources began a petition, now up to more than 900 signatures, to voice their concerns.

“A lot of my cohorts and other nursing students have lives outside of nursing school. They have children, they have full time jobs, and a lot of them are doing both, and it would only be fair to get our schedule in a timely manner so we can plan for our everyday lives as well,” said Reid.

A statement from Pasco-Hernando State College to Bay News 9 states the only students who may see a delayed graduation are those who are currently in their first semester.

The school explains each student is required a certain number of clinical hours to graduate, and earning those hours in-person is essential to the success of their students.

Reid says there are other options.

“We have accredited websites that also support clinical hours that are online based. I personally am in a concurrent program through UCF, and all of my clinical hours are 100 percent online,” said Reid.

In their statement, PHSC adds the safety of the students is their top priority, and they plan to be flexible and creative in moving forward once restrictions are lifted.

Reid says she wants to know what exactly those plans are sooner rather than later.