Faculty

Guidance for In-Person Classes (Fall 2022)

The best practices in maintaining a safe classroom and campus space are encouraging completion of the daily screening and wearing a face-covering. Ultimately it is not the role of the faculty or staff to enforce safety protocols. However, faculty and staff are encouraged to manage these situations with tact and de-escalation practices. Steps a faculty or staff member may take to help keep their classroom safe:

A. Prior to the start of class, faculty should consider doing the following:

• Reinforce the face covering requirement in any announcements or introductions that they send prior to the first meeting;
• Post a statement about the face covering requirement on Blackboard;
• Include a statement about the face covering requirement in the class syllabus. See suggested language: CSUDH strongly encourages mask-wearing. Face coverings are required in classrooms and laboratories, as well as for individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19. Surgical masks are in dispensers by first or second floor elevators or in entryways where elevators are not present. For more information, please visit the Toros Together face coverings page.
• Familiarize yourself with the Office of Community Standards, to whom you can report mask covering conduct violations.

B. On the first day of class and upon receipt of these guidelines, faculty should consider doing the following:

• Remind students about the CSU systemwide vaccination policy and the face covering requirement;
• Inform students where they can get masks should they forget to bring one. If students forget to bring a mask to campus, there are face covering dispensers throughout campus, mostly in entryways or by elevators. There are also N95 masks available in the Student Health Center, University Policy Departments, Toro Welcome Center, Residential Hall Commons, and Physical Plant.
  
• Reiterate to students that the university has determined that face coverings are a safety requirement necessary to protect individual and public health, similar to other safety requirements in campus laboratories and similar facilities.
• Start instruction when everyone has a face covering.

C. What if there is a Face Covering Violation During Class?

• Students who refuse to put on a face covering or to properly wear one may be asked to leave. If the faculty member isn't comfortable asking, then faculty may temporarily dismiss the class for an appropriate pause, or for the day if needed, and should report the non-compliant student to the Office of Community Standards.
• The non-complying student will not be permitted to attend class until they comply with the face covering policy. They also may be disenrolled from the course, depending on the severity of the issue.

D. If you or your student feels symptomatic:

1. Remove yourself from campus immediately.
2. Fill out the online reporting form if you are a known close contact to a positive or have recently tested positive.
3. For all new symptoms (within 24 hours) related to COVID-19, fill out the online reporting form only if it is determined these symptoms are as a result of or related to a known COVID-19 case.
4. For chronic symptoms related to another illness, allergies or similar, remove yourself from campus as you are not feeling and return when you feel better. You do not need to fill out the online form.
5. Discontinue any face-to-face activity with anyone who may have been in contact.
6. Resume face-to-face activity in 10 days after positive test result or confirmed symptoms of COVID-19. Remain in isolation if fever (100.4 or greater) persists, for 24 hours after fever is reduced without the assistance of fever reducing medications.

Student Conduct Procedures

The Office of Community Standards (OCS) at CSUDH, should be consulted when all educational avenues have been exhausted and students repeatedly fail to comply with communicated campus safety protocols.

1) Student Conduct Code Violation

Students failing to comply with the communicated campus safety protocols and procedures are subject to discipline pursuant to CSU Executive Order 1098: Student Conduct Code Procedures, (rev. 3/29/19). Title V of the California Code of Regulations Section 41301, Student Conduct Code, describes the grounds on which a student can be disciplined, including:

• "Conduct that threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person within or related to the University community, including physical abuse, threats, intimidation, harassment, or sexual misconduct."
• "Violation of any published University policy, rule, regulation or presidential order."
• "Failure to comply with directions of, or interference with, any University official or any public safety officer while acting in the performance of his/her duties."

Students failing to comply with campus safety protocols and procedures, including in connection with on-campus instruction, are subject to discipline based on the above grounds.

2) Reporting Procedures

The following are behaviors that may warrant consultation or intervention by the Office of Community Standards:

• Repeated and intentional failure to wear a mask after multiple and clear warnings.
• Repeatedly and intentionally violating any safety directives established by the university after fair and clear warnings.
• Repeatedly failing to complete the vaccination certification process.

Students should be allowed to correct the behavior without consequence. Students who forget, engage in unintentional carelessness, or act in haste should be given verbal warnings. A non-compliant student should be reported to the Office of Community Standards through the Student Conduct Reporting Form only after refusal to follow and comply with campus safety protocols.

3) Sanctioning

On the first occurrence, a student will be allowed to correct the behavior through education. A student who engages in unintentional carelessness or willful noncompliance should be given a verbal warning. After addressing the issue with the student, any individual responding to student non-compliance is asked to complete the Student Conduct Reporting Form, which is routed to the Office of Student Conduct (OSC). It is critical that all warnings and incidents are memorialized in writing for record-keeping and escalation of complaints and ensure due process of disciplinary proceedings.

On the second occurrence, a student who has violated the safety protocols and procedures will be referred to the OCS. The office will conduct a review and consider the circumstances in totality to determine appropriate action.

On the third occurrence, a student may be disenrolled from class, removed from housing, placed on interim suspensions, and in rare cases, students may face more severe sanctions. *If student gets into this process 3 times, they will be removed from housing, and may be disenrolled from course(s).

Below is a list of actions that are typically considered. There is no pre-determined order or sequencing of the sanctioning as the circumstances, and severity of the incident(s) are taken into consideration. An educational approach will be taken toward addressing non-compliance; however, egregious violations could escalate student behaviors through the formal student conduct process.

Typical Progression of Actions

4) Interim Suspension

Under severe circumstances where it is determined that there is a threat to any individuals in the campus community, an Interim Suspension may be considered. Under Article VI. of CSU Executive Order 1098 (revised March 29, 2019), per Title 5, California Code of Regulations, section 41302, an interim suspension may be considered and evaluated, "where there is reasonable cause to believe that separation of a Student is necessary to protect the personal safety of persons within the University community or University Property, and to ensure the maintenance of order."

The Faculty Development Center has collated resources for academic technology tools, high-impact practices, and more. Visit the center's resources page for more information.

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