Student Updates on College Operations during the COVID-19 Pandemic
June 17, 2020
TV Alabama Community College “CACC” has prepared emergency policies, procedures, and protocols in response to ACCS Memorandum #2020-EXE-045 and Order of the State Health Officer Suspending Certain Public Gatherings Due to Risk of Infection by Covid-19
Amended May 21, 2020. The plan may be found on the College website and includes a detailed plan for operations. Please note the Plan may be updated as directives are issued by the State Health Officer and the Alabama Community College System Office.
Please be advised of the following:
The College is currently providing primarily online instruction.
We are offering limited career technical education and health program onsite instruction is being provided while maintaining compliance with guidance issued by the Alabama Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of the Governor of the State of Alabama, and the Alabama Community College System.
The College Pandemic Emergency Response Team continues to meet to review and monitor updates to safety guidelines. The College Plan for reopening is fluid and will be modified to accommodate updated recommendations or requirements from the previously mentioned entities.
Campus Protocols and Procedures Overview for Students
General hygiene and respiratory etiquette will be followed college-wide.
Hands should be washed often. Soap and water should be used for at least twenty seconds, or hands should be cleaned with alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.
Do not shake hands.
Cover your coughs and sneezes. Use a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn in common areas, face to face meetings and group interactions.
Students and campus visitors will be responsible for furnishing their own facial coverings.
Students and campus visitors who arrive to campus without facial coverings will be asked to leave but may return with appropriate facial covering.
Self-Distancing and Disinfecting
- Classrooms/Labs
Classroom and lab occupation will be limited to maintain six-foot social distancing guidelines.
If classrooms and labs do not allow six feet of separation or if duties require employees and/or students to work within six feet of one another, one or more of the following measures will be implemented:
Face masks will be provided for instructors.
Students will wear face coverings. Students will be responsible for providing their own face coverings.
Duties will be modified as needed to allow social distancing.
PPE will be immediately removed following completion of duties. Hands must be washed for a minimum of twenty seconds as recommended. If soap and water are not available, a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol will be provided.
Avoid sharing tools or other equipment when possible.
If equipment is shared, proper disinfection will be required according to protocol.
For career technical programs, workforce programs, and health programs falling outside general disinfection protocol, the administrator responsible for each program has developed a plan for disinfecting labs and equipment. Instructors will review instructional plans with students.
Please be advised that instructional plans for career technical education may be found in the Emergency Policies, Procedures, and Protocols located on website, or students may contact the instructor(s).
- Restrooms
Self-distancing guidelines must be maintained in restrooms, including waiting in lines.
Hands must be thoroughly and properly disinfected when finished in restroom.
In order for restrooms to remain sanitary, all paper products must be disposed of properly and toilets completely flushed.
You must wear masks in restrooms.
- Arrival and Dismissal
Students may not congregate in parking lots at any time.
Employees and students must maintain six feet of distance between themselves and others upon entering and exiting the building.
Doors to buildings will remain locked at all times.
Self-Screening
One of the most vital aspects of detection involves self-screening at home. Students should self-screen at home for symptoms associated with COVID-19 and should not report to campus if experiencing a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or greater or experiencing multiple other symptoms of COVID-19.
When to Seek Medical Attention (Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
If you have any of the following emergency warning signs* for COVID-19, seek medical attention immediately:
Trouble breathing
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion or inability to arouse
Bluish lips or face
*This list is not all-inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
Call 911 if you have a medical emergency. Notify the operator that you have, or think you might have, COVID-19. If possible, put on a cloth face covering before medical help arrives.
Behaviors to avoid include the following:
Gathering in groups
Entering crowded areas
Carpooling with others that live outside of your home
Hugging or shaking hands
Eating face-to-face and similar activities that would put you and/or others in close proximity
Proper distancing behaviors include the following:
Remain isolated when possible.
Maintain six feet of distance between yourself and the nearest co-worker at all times. Do not sit directly across from one another, including during meeting and training times.
Follow right-of-way walking practices to and from work and common areas.
Utilize proper PPE and follow guidelines of usage.
Avoid sharing tools or equipment. If tools must be shared, follow disinfection protocol for students provided by your instructor.
Students arriving to campus WITHOUT signs/symptoms of COVID-19
Instructors will take student temperatures with an Infrared Digital Thermometer daily prior to students entering the building/classroom/lab/shop (See attached instructional plans). If the student has a temperature scan of 100.4 or greater, a second temperature reading will be taken. If the second temperature scan is 100.4 or greater, the student will not be allowed to enter the building/classroom/lab/shop. The instructor will record the information in their attendance log and immediately inform the instructional Dean and the Dean of Students.
Students will not be allowed to return until they are able to provide a medical release to the Dean of Students.
Students arriving to campus WITH signs/symptoms of COVID-19
In accordance with ACCS Memorandum #2020-EXE-048, should a student arrive to campus exhibiting signs/symptoms of COVID-19 (e.g. fever, cough, and shortness of breath), the college will ask the person to leave campus and consult a healthcare provider before returning to campus.
If a student shows up and they are symptomatic, the instructor will record the information in their daily log/attendance book and immediately inform the Instructional Dean and the Dean of Students. The faculty member will notify the student not to return to campus without the approval of the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students will follow-up with the student to confirm whether the student has been diagnosed or tested for COVID-19 and provide additional guidance to the student. In accordance with the ACCS Memorandum #2020-EXE-048, the following CDC guidance will be utilized:
Students with COVID-19 who have symptoms and were directed to care for themselves at home may discontinue isolation under the following conditions:
At least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and
At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
Students with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who have not had any symptoms and were directed to care for themselves at home may discontinue isolation under the following conditions:
- At least 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test assuming they have not subsequently developed symptoms since their positive tests. If they develop symptoms, then the symptom-based strategy listed above will be used.
The College will promptly notify Rachel Adams at ACCS if a student reports a laboratory- confirmed positive test for COVID-19.
Students WITH Positive COVID-19 Test Results Returning to Campus
In accordance with ACCS Memorandum #2020-EXE-048, the College has designated Dr. Sherri Taylor, Dean of Students, as the contact person on campus for students if they have had a positive COVID-19 test during the time period between April 1, 2020 to present date for further guidance on returning to campus/work.
The following CDC guidance will be utilized when providing guidance to students returning to campus.
Students with COVID-19 who have symptoms and were directed to care for themselves at home may discontinue isolation under the following conditions:
At least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and
At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
Students with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who have not had any symptoms and were directed to care for themselves at home may discontinue isolation under the following conditions:
- At least 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test assuming they have not subsequently developed symptoms since their positive test. If they develop symptoms, then the symptom-based strategy listed above will be used.
The College will promptly notify Rachel Adams at ACCS if a student reports a laboratory- confirmed positive test for COVID-19.
Student Positive Case
Students who are diagnosed with COVID-19 are not allowed on campus and may not return to campus until the student is able to provide Dr. Bryan Johnson, Dean of Students, with a medical release from their health care provider.
In addition, the College will employ all available means to ascertain the following:
The last time the student was on campus and the areas in which the student visited during the prior 14 days while on campus; and
The identification of any other individuals with whom the student had contact with while on campus during the prior 14 days.
The College will take reasonable steps to alert all individuals that are identified in the above process that may have been exposed to a student diagnosed with COVID-19 and direct them to monitor themselves for symptoms.
Student Contact with Positive Case
If a student is required to leave or stay away from campus because of COVID-19 related reasons, the student will need to contact Dr. Sherri Taylor, Dean of Students, for assistance and direction.
CACC DISINFECTION PROTOCOL
TV Alabama Community College has increased cleaning and disinfecting processes in several key areas. These include the following:
Assignment of additional personnel in common areas on campus
Disinfection of touch points (door handles, light switches) in common areas on campus
Sanitation of door entry handles twice per day
Use of Clorox T 360 to sanitize classrooms, labs, and common areas (ordered)
In accordance with CDC guidelines and with the proper use of PPE, the College currently uses cleaning products that specifically target and stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Maintenance and housekeeping will continue to routinely clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are frequently touched. This will include cleaning objects/surfaces not ordinarily cleaned daily (e.g., doorknobs, light switches, classroom sink handles, countertops).
Frequency of cleaning will follow standard recommendations according to the life of the virus.
If an area has been vacant for over seven days, the need for deep clean is minimized. If an area has not been closed or vacant for seven days, maintenance and housekeeping will clean hard surfaces using approved cleaning measures and while wearing appropriate PPE. Soft surfaces such as chairs and carpets will be cleaned as necessary. HVAC filters will be cleaned, disinfected, or replaced.
The maintenance supervisors will ensure disposable wipes and/or cleaning materials are provided to staff and faculty so that commonly used surfaces (e.g., keyboards, desks, remote controls) can be wiped down before use. The supervisors will also ensure adequate supplies to support cleaning and disinfection practices for maintenance and housekeeping staff, instructors for classrooms and labs, and instructors and staff for offices and common areas.
Daily (Monday through Friday) disinfection by maintenance and housekeeping staff will occur in the following areas:
Restrooms – all surfaces
Entrance doors to common areas and classrooms twice daily
Tables and desks in common areas and classrooms
Floors in common areas and classrooms
Utilized equipment in classrooms, labs, and common areas*
*Employees and students will be provided with cleaning materials allowing for additional daily disinfection. Proper PPE and training has been provided prior to usage.
Disinfection Following Identification of Positive Case COVID-19
In the event that an employee or student tests positive for COVID-19, the College will assess the risk level for other employees and students and respond accordingly. Preventing an outbreak will utilize a combination of control measures. The College will implement and follow CDC Cleaning and Disinfectant Guidelines. If decontamination is not feasible, a period of closure will be considered in order to allow the virus to naturally deactivate.