Healthy at Work Officer Q&A

August 21, 2020

Faculty are the front-line in the classroom. Guidance is provided on several classroom management scenarios. Faculty should request support as noted below. Faculty and Colleges should make best effort possible to follow safety and health guidance knowing that sometimes mistakes will occur.

Faculty contact/support chain will be defined by College but should include:

• Chief Student Services Officer or designee
• Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT)
• Disability Services
• Academic Leadership
• Healthy at Work Officer – supports or points to appropriate College support and should be included in health concern discussions
• Safety/Security Officer

Scenarios and Outcomes

Category 1: STUDENTS FEELING SICK/TESTING POSITIVE

1. College learns that a student comes to class positive.
   • Healthy at Work Officer should be notified immediately.
   • Healthy at Work Officer may contact the Health Department
   • Health Department requires student stay at home and self-quarantine.
   • College requires student to remain off campus until cleared by health department.
   • Student disciplinary action may follow through Student Code of Conduct as student violated College #HealthyatKCTCS policy/procedure.
   • All faculty and students should have been wearing masks and practicing social distancing. In this case, the classroom is closed for up to 24 hours while faculty/other students stay at home and classroom is deep cleaned.
   • If any faculty or students were not following mask or face covering requirements/distancing protocols, the Healthy at Work Officer, in conjunction with the college president, may consult the local public health department.
2. Student comes to class positive or feeling bad with COVID-like symptoms and does tell someone.
   • Student instructed to leave campus and advised to seek guidance from their healthcare provider.
   • Faculty member should consult with Healthy at Work Officer.
   • If COVID-19 positive, follow steps in scenario 1
   • If just feels bad, student remains off-campus until passes self-health check.
   • Faculty member follows normal procedures if student misses class.
   • Faculty should communicate to other students that if they do not feel well or do not pass the self-health check, then they should stay at home.
3. Dual Credit student is in a class that has another student that is positive.
   • Healthy at Work Officer collaborates with the college’s Dual Credit Coordinator for communications with the high school.
   • Follow steps in scenario 1.
4. Student misses class(es) as they are sick, tests positive, or confined to home due to COVID contact.
   • Faculty member should be flexible to allow for online instruction while the student is quarantined.
   • Faculty member follows normal procedures if student misses class.
   • Faculty member may issue an “I” or “IP” grade to student if warranted.
5. Faculty member learns from colleague, staff, or student that a student’s social media post stated that the student tested positive or is required to quarantine and the student comes to class.
   • Communicate with the Healthy at Work Officer.
   • Healthy at Work Officer will collaborate with the chief student affairs officer.
   • After verification, follow scenario 1.
   • Inform the BIT chair as appropriate.
6. Health Department calls college after learning that positive-tested student came to class.
   • College requires student stay at home and self-quarantine.
   • Student disciplinary action may follow through Student Code of Conduct as student violated College #HealthyatKCTCS policy/procedure.
   • All faculty and students should have been wearing masks or face covering and practicing social distancing. In this case, classroom is closed for up to 48 hours while faculty/other students stay home, and classroom is deep cleaned.
7. Student travels to hotspot areas between or before classes.
   • College cannot dictate where students travel
   • Colleges cannot require that students not come to class or not be on campus.
   • Follow usual student self-health check practices.
   
   Category 2: WEARING MASKS/PRACTICING SOCIAL DISTANCING and ACCOMMODATIONS
8. Student will not follow mask/face covering or social distancing requirements
   • Send student home temporarily – this is not a suspension or expulsion without following the full process outlined in the Code.
   • Work with Chief Student Services Officer on student disciplinary actions.
   • Student disciplinary action may follow through Student Code of Conduct as student violated College #HealthyatKCTCS policy/procedure.
9. Student states they cannot wear a mask/face covering for medical reasons.
   • The process for an exemption from a face mask or face covering begins with the Disability Services Office.
     
     • The student registers with Disability Services.
     • The student must provide the same type of documentation necessary for obtaining other types of accommodations.
     • If the student is able to provide medical documentation to support the inability to wear a mask, the interactive process begins to find a “reasonable accommodation.”
     • The student may be able to wear a clear face shield, and that is the generally the first possible accommodation that the college explores/offers.
     • If that is not possible (per medical documentation), the college could offer other accommodations such as an online section until the pandemic is resolved.
     • The college is not required to go strictly by the “no mask” as the only possible accommodation; in fact, given the pandemic and the nature of our “business” we likely cannot determine a mask exemption is reasonable but is, instead, a request that begins the interactive process.
10. Student with underlying health conditions that are at increased risk
    • Students with underlying conditions may go to Disability Services to request alternatives that address their increased risk. Disability Services and the faculty should work together to find reasonable accommodations, such as more than 6 feet of distancing, adding protective barrier, alternate sections that might have fewer students or be delivered online, or other reasonable ways to support those at higher risk.
    
    Category 3: FACULTY CONCERNS
11. Faculty member, college staff, or student has been to or goes to off-site learning experience (clinical, internship, experiential learning, FAME, etc.) or college work assignment (ready to work, work study, etc.) while ill or just prior to testing positive.
    • Notify college Human Resources Office if faculty member or college staff are positive.
    • The college contact should notify the site so they can take appropriate action.
    • The off-site facility will have the responsibility to notify the local health department.
    • The college contact should notify the site so they can take appropriate action.
    • All other guidance applies regarding absences, handling class load if the faculty is ill, etc.
    • If student tests positive follow scenario 1.
12. Is there approved guidance the faculty should include within their syllabi?
    • The Academic Council agreed to this language:
      • o The College must remain flexible to meet challenges that may include epidemics, pandemics, natural disasters, human-influenced disasters, and any and all threats to the College campus, students, employees, and surrounding communities. To ensure the safety and well-being of our constituencies, the College maintains the right to move classes temporarily or permanently to online, remote platforms; to a hybrid section that includes some face-to-face learning and some remote learning; or to a different campus, location, building, or time. Additionally, the College reserves the right to institute plans or practices in the physical classroom/lab/activity spaces and common areas to protect students and faculty. The College will attempt to make these changes as minimally disruptive as possible, but students have no right or privilege in a particular type, place, or time for their classes.
13. Faculty member tests positive or becomes ill.
    • Work with academic leadership, Healthy at Work Officer, and Human Resources Office on appropriate response and options, which may include:
      • All faculty and students should have been wearing masks or face coverings and practicing social distancing. In this case, classroom is closed for up to 48 hours while faculty/other students stay at home and classroom is deep cleaned.
      • If any faculty or students were not following mask/distancing protocols, Healthy at Work Officer will consult local public health department.
      • Move to online/remote teaching if COVID-19 positive but asymptomatic.
      • Take sick leave or COVID-19 leave if appropriate.
      • Another faculty member may complete class as per College practice.
14. Students in technical programs where social distancing cannot be accomplished.
    • Faculty in technical programs will need to determine whether students must work closely together for specific assignments or tasks for program completion while assuring the safety of each student. This contact should be kept at a minimum to accomplish the tasks. For example: In the Diesel Technology program, to remove safely a component from a diesel transmission it would require two or more students to work in close proximity to remove the component. The completion of this competency is required in the course.

STUDENT COVID-19 ILLNESS RETURN TO CAMPUS PROTOCOL 

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) has developed and established safety plans to assist its colleges in maintaining safe working and learning environments throughout the state. These plans have resulted in protocols and procedures that are intended to align with federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines as well as state Executive Orders and health department procedures. KCTCS exercises its authority to implement additional precautions for student, employee, and community safety in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

STUDENTS and COVID-19:

How to Reduce Exposure:

• Follow KCTCS guidelines provided by your college

•  These guidelines include:

  • Taking federal and state recommended precautions
  • Knowing the symptoms of COVID-19
• Stay away from Campus when you are experiencing any of the following:
  • Fever of 100.4F or higher
  • Chills or Sweating regardless of actual temperature rating
  • New Cough
  • Difficulty Breathing
  • Sore Throat
  • Muscle aches, body aches
  • Stomach upset or vomiting and diarrhea
  • Loss of taste or smell
  • Awaiting test results surrounding these or other symptoms
  • Told to stay in self-isolation

What to do if you must stay away from Campus: 

• Contact your instructor(s) immediately to report you are ill or feel ill

• Protect yourself and others by isolating from people

• Contact a health department official or other healthcare provider

• Obtain a test for COVID-19 if possible

• Do not return to campus until you have passed one or all the following steps:

  • It has been 10 days since symptoms first appeared and 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and COVID –19 symptoms have improved (for example, cough, shortness of breath).

NOTE: People who are severely ill and/or hospitalized with COVID-19 or have a severely weakened immune system should stay home longer than 10 days and up to 20 days after symptoms first appeared. They should talk to their healthcare provider for more guidance.

What to do to Return to Campus and Class:

To safeguard KCTCS college communities, your instructor(s) or a designated college administrator will require documentation or certification that you are able to return safely to campus.

Appropriate Documentation or Certification may include:

• Complete the Self-Certification Form (see attached form) and return to the designated college official.

  • Certify that you are no longer experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19; or 

  • Certify that it has been 10 days since symptoms first appeared and 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and COVID –19 symptoms have improved (for example, cough, shortness of breath).

• Submit to the instructor(s) or designated college administrator a doctor’s certification verifying that you have sought medical attention and are not experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19; or
• Submit to the instructor(s) or designated college administrator document(s) the local health department provided you that you tested positive and were given an end date for your self-isolation period.

Class Requirements: 

Students who have self-isolated to ensure the safety of other individuals, and students who have self-isolated while experiencing mild symptoms should be able to continue assignments virtually while not present in class. If students are too ill to continue classwork or must be present to complete quizzes or exams, the instructor will work with the student to determine the timeframe for and manner of making up these assignments. Instructors are not obligated to provide an opportunity for completing assignments unless students provide one or more of the “Self-Certification Form for Safely Returning to Class/Campus” documents as described above. Faculty will work with administration to ensure a safe, productive, and appropriate return to campus. Students must also work with faculty and administration during these extraordinary times as required by the KCTCS Code of Student Conduct, Article III, Section 3, Standard 2.4, and the Appendix, entitled Crisis or Emergency Plans, Protocols, and Guidance.

Temperatures are no longer being taken on campus.

BCTC has discontinued our check-in stations and limited points of entry.

Contact tracing is the process used by health officials to identify individuals who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

These devices should be cleaned after each use. 

There are no travel restrictions at this time.

BCTC has written procedures that have been reviewed by LET, KCTCS & the Lexington Health Department for responding to various COVID situations including individuals who test positive.

Masks are optional on campus as of March 1, 2022.

BCTC has developed cleaning protocols in response to COVID-19 to improve the disinfecting of all spaces including: high traffic areas, classrooms, offices, etc.

These are all currently available for use.

Water fountains and bottle fillers are now available for use.

Outside groups can submit a request to use our facilities for review.

Yes, food is now allowed at events.

Yes. We are increasing air flow inside our buildings through HVAC adjustments and improvements.

If a door has an automatic closer, it shall not be propped open due to code compliance. If a door does not have a closer, it is okay to prop it open.

Look for sanitizing stations set-up throughout our buildings.

Social distancing is no longer required in classrooms.

Social distancing is required in common areas.