May 8, 2020



Career College of Northern Nevada

Operational Plan for the State of Nevada’s Phase One of Road Map to Recovery



Governor Sisolak has announced that the State of Nevada has met the requirements established and has observed a decline in the numbers of Covid-19 related incidents that leads the state to believe it is safe to move into Phase 1 of the Recovery Plan. According to Governor Sisolak’s announcement, Nevada will begin Phase 1 on Saturday, May 9, 2020.



Accordingly, Career College of Northern Nevada will follow guidance provided by the State of Nevada’s Road Map to Recovery as well as Guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Where the two plans differ, CCNN will follow the guidance that we feel will provide the highest level of safety for our customers, students, employees and vendors. The emphasis of this plan will focus on social distancing and proper sanitation procedures to reduce the possibility of transmission, and on protocols that employees, customers and guests should follow if they have reason to believe they have been in contact with an infected person or have symptoms consistent with Covid-19 disease.



When we call for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) utilization and social distancing measures on campus, understand that these protocols only work if you follow those standards and guidelines throughout our lives all day, every day. If you are gathering with friends at home and making yourself susceptible to infection and then come to campus, you are endangering your fellow students, teachers and staff. We ask that you remain vigilant about the social distancing guidelines all day, every day, so that you do not bring the disease on campus, causing further disruption of the college classes for everyone involved. Together, we can make the best of the situation we are dealing with. It will not be perfect. It will be the best we can do under the situation we are in. If you follow the guidelines established, you will be allowed to continue on your educational journey.



At the beginning of the April 2020 term we asked all instructors to establish curriculum via the CCNN Moodle Learning Management System (LMS) as much as possible, reducing the amount of on-campus interaction for labs and hands-on portions of the studies as much as possible while Nevada was projected to reach its peak infections. We were successful in doing so. Congratulations! With a few exceptions, most students were successful in studying at home and staying caught up on the distance ed portion of the studies. But this also put all of you behind in the labs and now we need to catch up. But we will not do that in a manner that puts any of our partners at risk. Where possible we will achieve the hands-on portion of the learning over an extended period of time. Our goal will be to ensure your skills have been honed through practice and evaluation before your scheduled graduation date. In some cases individual training plans will be developed based on your individual needs, so please speak up to your instructors about those needs.



During Phase One of the Recovery Plan we will set 6 goals.







Social Distancing



    Each person on campus will be required to maintain a 6-foot space between themselves and others around them


    Seating in classrooms will be arranged to achieve the 6-foot space requirements.


    In situations where the 6-foot space cannot be maintained we will require the use of PPE such as face masks, sterile gloves and proper sanitation (hand washing after contact, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, disinfectant of surfaces used)


    Plexiglass barriers have been installed on desks and work areas of employees who regularly meet with others. These barriers are not meant as a replacement for face coverings, but rather as a supplement to the PPE.














    Quarantine if you are at-risk



      If you experience symptoms consistent with Covid-19 we ask that you stay home.


      If you have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive, you should self-isolate for 14 days or until a negative test result has been received. During that period if you display symptoms, contact your local health department and follow their guidance.


      If you are confirmed to be infected it is important to recall information that helps local authorities establish contact tracing. Write down names of individuals you’ve been in contact with, so you don’t forget. CCNN will not be performing contact tracing and we are not asking for the names of individuals who have been infected. Collecting names of individuals would be a violation of privacy laws. Report those names to the local health departments.














    Limit gatherings to 10



      No more than 10 people in any classroom at any time. This includes the instructor and any guests in the room. We will achieve this by continuing to offer didactic portions of the curriculum through distance ed. Labs will be scheduled so that instructors can ensure no more than 10 people are in the lab at any given time.


      Waiting areas and congregation points must be compliant with social distancing. Standing outside of someone’s office creates a bottle neck. Don’t stand in the doorway with others. If the office space is big enough, go inside and maintain the 6-foot spacing.


      Parking lots and patios. Do not gather with your friends in a manner that violates the above protocols. Wear face coverings.














    Sanitation



      CCNN will continue to disinfect surfaces that are determined to have a high rate of use. Door handles, counter tops, stair railings, restrooms, etc…will be disinfected daily or multiple times each day by staff.


      If a confirmed case of infection is suspected on campus the college will temporarily close in order to allow time to completely disinfect the portion of the facility compromised or entire facility as deemed necessary.


      Sanitation equipment will be installed in each classroom allowing students and faculty to disinfect equipment and surfaces as needed. Spray bottles with properly mixed disinfectant and paper towels will be available in classrooms and lunch areas. Please clean up your area before and after use.


      Wash your hands after contact with others or touching surfaces and equipment that has not been properly sanitized. Use soap to break down the oils that keep the virus alive. Rub your hands together under running water for 20 seconds. (If you sing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song three times you’ll be pretty close to 20 seconds)














    Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)



      All employees who come into contact with any student, customer, vendor or member of the public shall at all times wear FACE COVERINGS, to the maximum extent practicable.


      Students must wear face covering masks when unable to maintain the strict 6-foot social distancing. We encourage students to use facemasks at all times while on campus.


      Face coverings can be homemade or commercially available masks designed to reduce the droplets coming from you that are thought to be the main source of transmission. A bandana will achieve this requirement if properly worn to contain droplets created by coughing and sneezing


      Face masks protect others from becoming infected by you. Face Shields protect you from contracting from others. Each situation warrants different PPE.














    Flexible Leave Policies



      We will not be requiring documentation from your doctor in order to grant leave. You are responsible for your health care and we trust you will make appropriate decisions about this. We ask that you stay home if you feel sick. You can use that time to stay caught up on the CCNN Moodle LMS based curriculum.


      Students must make decisions based on their own personal situations. You can continue on with your education using the current methods with the majority of your non hands-on portion delivered through internet-based technologies and limited on campus lab activity. Or you can choose to take a leave of absence and return when this mess is over. We do not know when the Covid-19 emergency will end, nor do we know when we will return to normal activities. We see distance learning being a part of our lives for some time. Your goals will dictate your decisions and we will be here to assist you in navigating whatever you choose and document your enrollment status as needed.








Phase One Plan:



While we are in phases related to re-opening, students should be aware that our staff may not be on campus. We have established policies that allow staff to work from home when possible. We encourage meetings with staff to be conducted via teleconference (Zoom, Google Hangout, Google meet or Teams…etc…) whenever possible. Meetings must be scheduled in advance. If you drop into our office to receive services, we may ask you to schedule an appointment in order to maintain this policy. Please be flexible in this regard. Contact the staff person via telephone, email or text message and describe your needs so that we can be prepared when we do actually meet with you. The more staff we have on campus, the less students we will be allowed to serve. This policy is in your best interest but may become frustrating as you navigate it. We continue to be committed to delivering all services to you in the friendliest and most effective way we can.



Distance ed challenges students in ways we did not imagine when you enrolled. We understand those challenges. You may be at home with small children that demand your attention. Prepare in advance so that someone else watches over your children while you focus on your studies. Pick times to study when your child is busy or sleeping. Work obligations may have changed if you’re pone of the lucky ones to have an essential job. Transportation issues related to your work schedule, your spouse’s work schedule, etc…. Planning is the most important aspect of being a successful online learner. This may not have been your chosen path, but it is a viable path if you plan to make it work. Let us know how we can help with this planning.



Grading and evaluation of your skills may change. Our policy allows for 1-week extensions to be granted by your instructor, but it requires PRIOR approval. You are required to stay in contact with your instructor and have a plan to make up deficient work. Communication with your instructor is imperative in order to take advantage of this extension policy.



We may also be able to issue grades based on your participation in the online portion of the training separate from the hands-on portion. If you are unable to come on campus due to the Covid-19 emergency, we may be able to evaluate your skills portion at a later time and combine that with the online grade to issue a final grade long after the term has expired. But again, you must remain in contact with your instructor and the individual training plan must be approved in advance. You cannot come to us later and ask for this adjustment. It must be approved in advance.



The college is offering flexibility in class scheduling. We cannot hold a lab for a class of 20 students and meet the social distancing portion of this plan. We may break those labs up into smaller groups and ask students to be on campus outside of the regular schedule you signed up for. We ask for your flexibility in this regard, but we will also ask students to let us know what your schedule allows. We will try to coordinate schedules that work for all students and staff and allow students the opportunity to perform the hands-on portion of your studies and faculty to evaluate your skills in a manner that achieves that above stated objective, helping you become confident in your skills prior to graduation. Let us know how we are doing with this.



Students are reminded that the college has a long-standing policy to allow graduates to retake classes in the program as refresher at no additional cost to the graduate.



Near the end of the current term we will be providing students with schedules and textbooks for the next term. We will continue passing those out in the parking lot. We ask that you follow the schedule established for textbook deliveries. You will arrive in the parking lot, remain in your vehicle. Text or call us to let us know you are here. We will bring your textbooks to your vehicle and allow you to sign the acknowledgment at your car. Please bring your own pen to sign with.



Reminder:



Page 6 of our current college catalog explains our attendance policy. The policy is designed to address on ground learning in the classroom. As we transition to an online (blended) environment we are making an adjustment to the attendance policy that allows students to pick the time to do their online course work.



Effective May 26, 2020, student attendance will be monitored through two channels. First, Online activity on the Moodle.ccnn.edu server. You must log in and do learning activities or submit assignments at least once each week. Second, students must schedule time with the instructor to complete lab work on campus. Students who do not log in and complete course work or come onto campus to complete lab work each week will be contacted by the Student Success Director, Academic Dean or the faculty member in charge of the course to determine remedial work to stay caught up. Students who fail to take the final exam as scheduled will be deemed to have withdrawn unless prior approval is gained from the instructor to take the exam later than the end of the term. Under no circumstances will final exams be extended more than one week from the end of the term.



Students who fail to submit work, participate in class or come on campus to complete lab work at least once each week or otherwise fall behind on progression will be placed on attendance probation. While on attendance probation the student must make contact with the Student Success Director to discuss progress on their individual progress plan each week. Once the student establishes a pattern of good attendance and remains on track to succeed according to the established curriculum for the course, the Student Success Director may adjust the individual progress plan to reduce or eliminate the need to remain in contact with the Student Success Director. Students who are on attendance probation and fail to make contact with the student success director for two consecutive weeks will be dismissed. At the end of the term the student attendance probation plan will be evaluated. If the student achieves a passing grade the student will be removed from attendance probation.



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