In-Person Instruction
What should I do if someone I live with is immunocompromised or ineligible for the vaccine and I don’t feel safe teaching in person this semester?
Start by talking with your academic unit administrator. Perhaps you can be reassigned to teach only courses that have been approved by the curriculum committee of your department for distance education delivery.
If reassigning you to teach only courses that have been approved by the curriculum committee of your department for distance education is not an option, perhaps there is a way for you (with the help of a G.A. or student worker in the classroom) to teach an audience of students who are together in the classroom from your home or other off-campus location. Alternatively, among other things, you may qualify for other such appropriate leave as described in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article XIV, Other Benefits, Section 4, Non-Academic Leaves, or possible qualification for leave under Family and Medical Leave. For consideration of applicable leave options, please contact benefits@kent.edu.
What should I do if I am immunocompromised or ineligible for the vaccine and I don’t feel safe teaching in person this semester?
First, if you are ineligible for the vaccine or are not vaccinated, you should request an exemption. As an employee or faculty member with a disability and a need for an accommodation to perform the essential functions of your job, you can request a disability accommodation. EOAA can work with you and your supervisor in implementing accommodation(s) that are reasonable and effective. Please visit: employee ADA accommodation process for more information. Please note, this process applies to the university employees with a disability and does not apply to situations where it is a family member of the employee who has the condition in question.
Alternatively, among other things, you may qualify for other such appropriate leave as described in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article XIV, Other Benefits, Section 4, Non-Academic Leaves (E.g. temporary disability leave, sick leave, etc.), or possible qualification for leave under Family and Medical Leave. For consideration of applicable leave options, please contact benefits@kent.edu.
Why are we not doing physical distancing in the classroom?
Kent State has taken steps to mitigate the spread of viruses. These include upgrading ventilation systems and mandating masks in all indoor spaces. In addition, our vaccination rates are high. Further, we have not observed transmission in classrooms to be a cause of outbreaks or virus spread, and this includes after physical distancing was removed.
Our face covering requirements, along with our vaccination rates and ventilation systems are effective at reducing the spread of viruses. Our contact tracing efforts demonstrate that we have not observed outbreaks in the classrooms.
Classroom Protocol and Scenarios for In-Person Instruction
Can I require students to wear a face covering?
New face covering guidance was issued on March 3, 2022.
Students requesting an accommodation not to wear a face covering should contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS). As always, any accommodation granted by SAS will be communicated to you in writing. You can require students who have not been granted an exception by SAS to wear a face covering.
Do I have to wear a face covering while teaching?
Instructors may choose not to wear a face covering while teaching in person if they can maintain a safe distance of at least six (6) feet from their students.
Can I ask students for their vaccination status?
No.
If I teach an in-person course and get COVID symptoms, can I deliver my course remotely for a limited period?
Yes. As with any time when you are sick, you can provide alternative assignments or deliver your course synchronously. Please make sure you notify the unit administrator (e.g., department chair, school director, campus dean) and communicate the alternative arrangement for the course period including how students can access the course remotely (e.g., Teams Link). Also be sure to notify students in the syllabus that this approach could be used to deliver the course if you are unable to meet in person. Except in unusual circumstances, use of online technology to hold synchronous class sessions should not extend beyond five consecutive weekdays. Access guidelines for making such short-term use of distance education technologies when teaching in-person classes.
What happens if a student in my in-person class tests positive for COVID-19?
If the COVID Response Team is made aware that a student in your course has tested positive for COVID-19 (note that the student in question has to contact the COVID Response Team), and if the positive case does not know the names of the close contacts, the COVID Response Team will issue a health advisory to you and the students in the course stating that they may have been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case. The local health department will conduct contact tracing and inform any individual (including the instructor) who may need to quarantine or isolate. The instructor will not be notified about a positive test result by the COVID Response Team, but instead by the local health department if deemed necessary.
What if a student tells me they have COVID symptoms?
Refer the student to the Flashes Safe Eight principles. Instruct the student to go home and not attend any classes. Also, tell the student to reach out to the COVID Response Team at 330-672-2525 to report symptoms, ask health questions, seek treatment or arrange for a COVID-19 test.
How should I handle student absences related to COVID-19?
Please continue to be flexible concerning student absences for COVID-19 related reasons. In any given year, students may miss class for various health reasons. For more information see, Guidelines for Instructors When a Student Becomes Ill During the COVID-19 Pandemic and What It Means to be Reasonable, Flexible, and Equitable When Students are Required to Quarantine or Isolate Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Students residing in residence halls are required to get tested for COVID-19 prior to coming to campus. If they test positive, they will remain home for their isolation period. These students will need to work with their instructors during the first one to two weeks before they can come to campus or class.
How can I assist with keeping my classroom safe?
Encourage students to follow the Flashes Safe Eight principles. Encourage students to stay home if they have any COVID-19 symptoms, be flexible around student absences and wear a face covering indoors when others are present.
How are office hours impacted by COVID-19?
Your students must have the opportunity to meet with you to discuss any issues, concerns or questions they may have. See University Policy 6-18.101. You should offer office hours in person only if the Flashes Safe Eight principles can be followed.
How do I hold office hours in person?
Instructors must model safe behavior for students by observing the Flashes Safe Eight principles during class and office hours. You should hold office hours in person only if all the following conditions apply:
- The office space is clean and sanitized.
- The best practice would be to ensure that a facial covering is close by in case you are approached by a colleague or a visitor. For up-to-date information on facial covering requirements, please see Facial Covering and Physical Distancing Guidelines.
If your office does not meet these criteria, you may try to reserve an alternate space on campus to meet with students or hold your office hours remotely.
How do I hold remote office hours?
When you hold office hours remotely, students must be able to communicate with you synchronously. At a minimum you could be available to receive and respond to student emails in real time during regularly scheduled times. For more direct communication, you can make yourself available to students by phone or in a virtual office using BlackBoard Collaborate Ultra, Zoom, Microsoft Teams or another similar platform. This may be done during regularly scheduled times or using an appointment system, provided that the required minimum number of hours of availability is maintained.
Student Compliance
(this section added March 3, 2022)
Can you provide the student vaccination rates for each campus?
Information on vaccination rates was reported regularly on the dashboard through the end of spring semester 2022.
If an unvaccinated student does not comply with required testing, what is the process to deal with this situation in a timely manner?
Unvaccinated students are regularly contacted by the Office of Student Conduct. Unvaccinated students with an approved exemption are subject to the university’s testing protocol; failure to comply with required testing may result in a referral to the Office of Student Conduct.
How will noncompliance with the vaccine mandate be monitored and handled among the student body?
As part of the university's Pandemic Institutionalization Effort, a data team oversees the data regarding vaccine and testing compliance. Information regarding individuals who are noncompliant will be regularly shared with the Division of Student Affairs to send follow-up communications through the end of February and may take disciplinary action by placing registration holds and/or referring students to the Office of Student Conduct.
When Is Short-term Use of Distance Education Technology an Option?
The Office of the Provost has created a dedicated webpage to address options, scenarios and guidelines around short-term use of distance education technology when teaching in person.