On Aug. 24, a COVID-19 vaccine mandate was voted in by the NOCCCD Board of Trustees.
The mandate applies to faculty, staff, and students taking on-campus courses with allowances for religious or medical exemptions as defined by law. This will also include anyone who needs access to any indoor on-campus activity or service.
The deadline to be fully vaccinated or request a religious or medical exemption is Nov. 1. To meet the deadline, the final dose of the vaccine must be received by Oct. 17 for the vaccine to reach full efficacy.
Accepted vaccines include Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson and Johnson.
Those requesting exemptions will be required to undergo free weekly testing.
“The rationale for this decision is based on evidence of the effectiveness of vaccinations, FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine, legal precedents, and increases in the number of employers, colleges, and state agencies mandating vaccinations,” NOCCCD chancellor Cheryl A. Marshall wrote in a letter to employees on Aug. 26.
Coast Community Colleges District also adopted a vaccine mandate on Aug. 24.
As reported by the OC Register, Public Affairs Director Erik Fallis announced that CCCD students would not be dropped from on-campus courses if they are not fully vaccinated before the end of the Fall 2021 semester but will be expected to be by Spring 2022.
This approach differs from NOCCCD’s.
“Students who do not wish to get the vaccine have the option to attend classes online.” NOCCCD wrote in a press release on Aug. 26.
NOCCCD has not stated nor hinted at any leniency on meeting the Nov. 1 deadline.
Colleges within NOCCCD are in the process of rolling out operations on the vaccine mandate.
“COVID is evolving… Two weeks ago, we were hoping to have college open more, and then with the Delta variant, we kept offices closed this week. So just last week, a lot of things changed,” Director of Campus Communications Lisa McPheron said (on Aug. 26).
McPheron confirmed weekly testing will be provided to students that are not vaccinated through the fall semester. Fullerton College will likely follow the current model for student testing on athletic students but on a campus-wide scale.
A vaccination clinic will be held on the Fullerton College campus, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 9. Fullerton College has partnered with the Orange County Healthcare Agency for the upcoming clinic and has partnered with St. Jude for previous clinics held on campus. The OCHA vaccine clinic will be administering the Pfizer vaccine.
McPheron confirmed that more details are to come on weekly testing for unvaccinated individuals, how Fullerton College will verify and collect vaccination records, and additional operations.
For more information on how to get vaccinated, visit Fullerton College’s health site.