We are the class of 2021 for the dental hygiene program at Baltimore City Community College. Our education was interrupted during 2020 due to COVID-19 but we continued our lecture courses online with promise of a physical return to school to complete our requirements to graduate. While other schools in the state and country made a plan and went back to clinic in some capacity our school failed to have us return until over a year after we originally left in March 2020. Despite multiple efforts of reaching out to the President of our school and Vice President my classmates and I have received little to no answers regarding when we will graduate. Although almost every students name was called during the virtual graduation in May 2021 and we received graduation boxes with caps and gowns we were told that we were not allowed to participate because we are not graduating. Up to now we have never been provided an alternative graduation date or direct information regarding completion. We have tried zoom meetings, emails, phone calls and letters with in our school's chain of command going up to the President and Vice President to be proactive and voice our concerns but nothing is working. We have not been provided any other information from our school other than being told "When I know you will know". The president sent out an initial email stating that the VP would delegate and speak with us on her behalf and everything would be handled through the VP. To date the VP has refused to return any of our emails regarding the upcoming semester schedule or our graduation date through radio silence. This summer semester we were only allowed to return to school for clinic 1 day a week which makes completing our patient requirements, which were barely altered, in any timely manner impossible. We have paid our tuition fees IN FULL and have been ignored and given no information on updated/modified clinic requirements, our semester schedule or our graduation date. We are the ONLY school in the area and possibly the country that hasn't graduated on time or with in the same year as their expected program completion date because of this negligence and lack of communication. This program has put our lives on hold and we have been unable to work due to the demand of clinic time and patient treatment. Currently everyone is having hardships with being able to provide hours to jobs as well as childcare providers. We can't continue to put our lives on hold with no answers or acknowledgement from our school! There has also been information given to us that our school, despite not having a plan of action to get our overdue senior class finally done, is planning to accept ANOTHER freshman class this fall. Currently the freshman class that was accepted and admitted last fall is still trying to make headway virtually without any clinic time. This would put our school WAY over capacity for the program. We have paid our tuition upfront and in FULL and this is grossly unacceptable!

The Dental Hygiene Class of 2021 says enough is enough! On Thursday Aug 19th at 3pm we are protesting on Liberty Ave outside of BCCC to make our voice heard and seen!

Please help support us by spreading the word online and signing this petition for answers.