If a student tells you that they are feeling ill:

Please ask them to stay home and contact Student Health, [434-924-5362; 434-297-4261 After Hours]. If they hesitate, kindly remind than that they agreed to do so in the social contract that they signed.

If a student tells you that they have to quarantine:

• Let them know what to expect in terms of participation in your course
• They may transition from in-person to on-line participation during their quarantine if they are well enough to do so.
• Please make accommodations for the student as you would in any other circumstance when a student is ill.

If a student discloses to you that they have been diagnosed with the virus:

• Offer support to the student

If a student informs you that s/he has COVID, please report the case to Dean Rachel Most (The College) or Dean Laurie Casteen (ODOS). Please send an email to one of them asking for a time to talk; DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, SEND THE NAME OF THE STUDENT VIA EMAIL. Again, only email Rachel Most or Laurie Casteen to arrange a time to speak via phone or Zoom. This information is protected under the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act.

• Remind the student to contact Student Health [434-924-5362; 434-297-4261 After Hours]. (Since not all tests will be administered through Student Health, it is important for students to contact Student Health if they receive a positive test result from another source)
• Outside of our normal guidelines on class attendance, the College does not mandate that instructors follow a particular attendance policy. This year, we expect that you would handle illness and absences in accordance with the policies outlined in your syllabus, as you would in a normal semester. As always, the Association Deans stand ready to assist you with individual student issues that may arise.
• Even if the student asks you to keep their COVID status confidential, please contact the Office of the Dean of Students. The information will be shared with a very limited group of individuals who need to know in order to protect the health and safety of the community under the health and safety exception of FERPA (Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act). The information will be treated as confidential and private.
• If the student has been in-person class, you do not need to automatically suspend in-person classes. The classroom is thoroughly cleaned daily and can continue to be used for classes. The current understanding is that the virus spreads primarily through airborne particles and not through touching contaminated surfaces. VDH’s contact-tracing protocol will contact those that may have been exposed.

Once a student has been diagnosed as being infected with COVID-19, a contact-tracing protocol established by the Virginia Department of Health will be initiated. VDH will contact others who might have been exposed through close and prolonged contact with that student.