At the June 9, 2022 Board meeting, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution directing the District’s COVID-19 protocols going forward. The resolution is the culmination of more than two years of work to understand how COVID-19 spreads, successful mitigation measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in public education institutions, the full impact of the disruptions caused by COVID-19 and distance learning and service modalities on our diverse communities, evolving requirements and recommendations of public health agencies, and most importantly, the interests and concerns of students, faculty, classified professionals, supervisors, and managers throughout our colleges and district.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many difficult choices for each of us as individuals, for our colleges, and for our district. To protect the health and safety of our students, employees, and communities, we have relied primarily on technology to provide instruction and services remotely. While this ensured we could continue to serve our communities, it has created new barriers to access and success for far too many of our current and prospective students. Throughout the District’s phased-in reopening, in which we have cautiously resumed in-person instruction, services, and activities, we have used multiple layers of COVID-19 protections to minimize the spread of COVID-19 within our District, which have imposed additional barriers on access that disproportionately impact some of the communities and students we serve.
Our core mission is providing open access educational institutions committed to equity, inclusion, and success for our diverse students and communities by responding to their unique needs. Managing the health and safety impacts of COVID-19 within our mission has been extraordinarily difficult. As we enter the final stage of our phased-in reopening, we want to ensure our COVID-19 prevention strategies and mission continue to be aligned allowing students to pursue their educational goals in as safe of an environment as possible.
You can access and read the Board resolution directing the District’s COVID-19 protocols here: https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sdccd/Board.nsf/files/CF7R4967578B/$file/Board%20of%20Trustees%20COVID-19%20Mitigation%20Program%20Resolution.pdf
Key Provisions of the Board Resolution:
- Employees must be vaccinated against COVID-19, including booster doses, or have an approved legal exemption and work accommodation
- Beginning with the fall 2022 semester, students will not be required to be vaccinated to participate in in-person instruction, unless vaccination is required for a specific program or activity by law, regulation, or other applicable governing organization
- Face coverings will continue to be required for all individuals onsite at District facilities during periods of high transmission of COVID-19 in San Diego County
The resolution allows the district and its colleges to resume serving all individuals seeking our instruction and services in the modality which best meets their needs and interests while ensuring our employees are protected against contracting COVID-19 and experiencing serious illness. Data analyzed by the CDC (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#rates-by-vaccine-status) shows individuals fully vaccinated and boosted are less likely to contract COVID-19 and far less likely to suffer fatal illness. Requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is the most significant single measure the District can take in ensuring employees are healthy and our instruction and services continue to be available to our students and communities.
COVID-19 Protocols for Students
Access to in-person summer courses will be limited to students who are vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved legal exemption and accommodation by the District. The vaccination requirement will be removed for enrollment in courses for the fall semester. The colleges and district office will coordinate to remove current procedures for requiring vaccination for students, prospective students, and community members to access services and non-instructional activities to ensure open access for fall enrollment. Students and visitors to the colleges and district facilities will be required to wear face coverings while indoors, while outdoors and within six feet of others, and as required at all times in specific programs and activities until further notice. The District will continue to monitor local public health conditions related to COVID-19 to determine when the face covering requirement for students may be removed.
COVID-19 Protocols for Employees
All employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination, which includes booster doses as approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO). Exemptions from the requirement to be vaccinated and/or receive a booster dose based on a medical condition or religious belief will be provided in accordance with federal and state law. Accommodations to work for employees with approved exemptions will be made in accordance with federal and state law. Further direction is provided on exemptions and accommodations below.
Employees who do not have an approved exemption must be fully vaccinated and up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccination to comply with District policy. Employees who have been fully vaccinated (received two doses of a mRNA vaccine or a single dose vaccine) prior to February 1, 2022 must receive a booster dose by July 1, 2022. Employees who were fully vaccinated after February 1, 2022 must receive a booster dose when eligible. Human Resources will notify employees who were fully vaccinated after February 1, 2022 when they are required to provide documentation of a booster dose to comply with the District vaccination requirement.
All employees are eligible for paid leave to get vaccinated and for vaccine-related symptoms. Please contact the Human Resources Division at employment@sdccd.edu for details on COVID-19 related leaves, including for vaccination.
COVID-19 Vaccination Documentation Submission Process
To submit documentation of your COVID-19 vaccination, please log into your employee portal in PeopleSoft (https://myportal.sdccd.edu/psp/IHPRD/?cmd=login), select the “Employee Dashboard”, select the “My Forms” menu option in the vertical banner to the left of the screen, and then select the “VACCINATION CONFIRMATION FORM”.
Employees vaccinated in California must upload their digital COVID-19 vaccination record from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). You can obtain a digital copy of your record here: https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/. If you were vaccinated in California and are unable to obtain your digital record, please contact the Human Resources Division at employment@sdccd.edu.
Employees vaccinated outside of California, including in countries other than the United States, must upload their vaccination documentation showing at least their name, COVID vaccine manufacturer, COVID vaccine lot or other identifying number, vaccination location, and date(s) of vaccination. If your vaccination record does not contain this information, please contact the Human Resources Division at employment@sdccd.edu.
Vaccination Requirement Exemption and Accommodations Process
Employees with an approved exemption in place do not need to submit a new exemption request. Current work and leave accommodations for employees with approved exemptions will be assessed by the Human Resources Division to determine the available accommodations going forward given the District’s COVID-19 protocols and operational needs. Employees and their supervisors will be notified of their accommodation status no later than July 8th.
Employees who have not previously requested and received an exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement may submit the “VACCINATION EXEMPTION FORM” for consideration. For assistance submitting the form, please contact employment@sdccd.edu. The exemption request will be reviewed by the Human Resources Division and the employee will be notified of the determination. If an exemption is approved, the Human Resources Division will review accommodation options and notify the employee and their supervisor of their accommodation decision.
All employees must be up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccination or have an approved exemption and accommodation. Failure to comply with the District vaccination policy will lead to disciplinary action, which may include termination.
Use of Face Coverings
The District’s current face covering requirement will continue indefinitely due to the levels of COVID-19 transmission in San Diego County. The Board resolution directs the District to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 in our local communities using a variety of data sources, including wastewater monitoring measurement, reported COVID-19 positive cases, hospitalizations and health care facility capacity, and other data provided by federal, state, and local public health agencies. This information will guide decisions regarding face covering requirements and other measures which may be necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at college and district facilities and in our programs and activities.
If you are interested in monitoring the data sources primarily used by the District, you may be interested in the following:
San Diego County Wastewater Monitoring: https://searchcovid.info/dashboards/wastewater-surveillance/
San Diego County COVID-19 Data: https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/programs/phs/community_epidemiology/dc/2019-nCoV/status.html (recommend subscribing to the COVID-19 Watch Weekly Surveillance Report available at this site)
California COVID-19 Data: https://covid19.ca.gov/state-dashboard/
CDC COVID-19 Data: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home
Thank you for your ongoing support of the District’s COVID-19 protocols and prevention measures throughout the pandemic and as we complete our phased-in reopening. Most importantly, thank you for every action you have taken to help ensure we continue to serve our students, communities, and employees as effectively, efficiently, and equitably as we can while managing the impacts of COVID-19. Your efforts are seen, appreciated, celebrated, and invaluable.
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