Thousands of people have signed a petition to cancel classes at San Jose State University early this week amid the unhealthy air quality.
Despite the petition, which has garnered about 11,000 signatures as of Monday morning, classes will be in session Monday and Tuesday before the Thanksgiving holiday break, according to the university.
"We truly respect the thoughtful perspectives that were shared by many SJSU students and other university community members," Charlie Faas, San Jose State's Vice President for Administration and Finance, said. "Decisions to close a campus are never made lightly...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."
The Air Quality Index reading in San Jose was listed as "unhealthy" as of early Monday morning, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
Classes at SJSU were canceled Thursday and Friday of last week due to the smoke from the Camp Fire lingering over the region. The university handed out masks and urged students and staff to avoid going outside.
A number of colleges and universities across the Bay Area, including University of California, Berkeley, Santa Clara University, San Francisco State University and Saint Mary's College, have announced closures for Monday and beyond because of the bad air.
