COVID-19 Policy Statement
Published or Revised May 25, 2021
Update to PJC COVID-19 Policy as of May 25, 2021
Paris Junior College will continue to monitor and assess the COVID-19 impact on the communities served. Per CDC guidelines:
- All COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States have been shown to be safe and effective at preventing COVID-19. Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
- Anyone on PJC campus/property will be expected to govern themselves by the CDC's cleaning and disinfection, hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette.
Masks are no longer required on a PJC campus. However, if you have not been vaccinated, you should consider wearing a mask to protect your own health.
Previous COVID-19 Policy
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, specific requirements are in place to minimize exposure of the Paris Junior College students, faculty, staff and visitors. To ensure the safety of all faculty, staff and students during the pandemic, the following measures are required. Students not complying will be found in violation of the Paris Junior College Student Code of Conduct and subject to disciplinary action.
- The College requires masks/face coverings on campus in all campus buildings, classrooms, laboratories, computer labs, libraries and restrooms where physical distancing is not feasible.
- Practice social distancing by maintaining a distance of at least six feet from other individuals.
- Complete a daily screening prior to entering campus.
- Do not come to campus if you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, such as coughing, sore throat, fever, or shortness of breath (see complete list).
- Do not come to campus if within the past 10 days you have knowingly been in contact with someone who is under investigation for or confirmed to have COVID-19.
- Maintain good hand hygiene.
- Disinfect your workspace.
The College will:
- Limit the number of individuals assigned to classrooms, auditoriums, laboratories and other college facilities to allow for physical distancing.
- Use physical distancing plans for each course, such as staggered or rotating schedules and reduced classroom occupancy.
- Monitor and track students’ attendance.
- Provide training for all students, faculty, and staff on appropriate cleaning and disinfection, hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette.
- Have contingency plans for rapid return to online instruction if an increase in local infections requires physical distancing.
- Establish plans for protecting the health and safety of vulnerable student, faculty, and staff populations.
- Post signs in highly visible locations that promote everyday protective measures and describe how to stop the spread of germs.
- Educate students, faculty, and staff on when they should stay home or self-isolate in their living quarters.
- Have students, faculty, and staff come through a college Checkpoint each day prior to entering campus.
- Limit the students in residence halls to one student per room.
- Meet all safety guidelines in the Cafeteria including items such as wearing of face masks and gloves at all times by Cafeteria staff, limiting numbers being allowed to eat at one time and maintaining social distance and meeting all CDC and THECB guidelines.
Paris Junior College Reopening Plan Guidelines
The following health protocols are recommended for Paris Junior College (PJC) for reopening campus operations for fall 2020. This checklist is based on health protocols and recommendations included in:
- (1) The Governor’s Report to Open Texas (April 27, 2020) and the Governor’s Strike Force to Open Texas (updated June 3, 2020);
- (2)COVID-19 Considerations for Institutes of Higher Education (updated May 30, 2020) and other information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including the CDC’s Testing in Institutions of Higher Education;
- (3) Considerations for Reopening Institutions of Higher Education in the COVID-19 Era (May 7, 2020) provided by the American College Health Association (ACHA);
- (4) Preliminary Guidance for Resuming In-Person Instruction at Postsecondary Education Institutions and Adult Education Programs (June 3, 2020) provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education; and
- (5) COVID-19 Checklist for Campus Housing Professionals (May 6, 2020) provided by the Future of Housing Work Group assembled by the Association of College and University Housing Officers - International (ACUHO-I).
Public health guidance cannot anticipate every unique situation. PJC leaders will make every attempt to stay informed and take actions based on common sense and wise judgement to protect the health and safety of students, faculty, staff (PJC Community members), and campus visitors. The duration of the COVID-19 pandemic remains unclear and the situation continues to evolve. COVID-19 will impact Paris Junior College depending on local conditions, and public health guidance, scientific knowledge, and clinical best practices will change.
These guidelines are offered as a resource to assist in reopening the PJC campus. PJC leaders may consider adopting additional protocols for their specific needs and circumstances to protect the health and safety of the PJC Community and campus visitors. These guidelines will be updated as appropriate and will remain in effect until there is a widely available vaccine for COVID-19.
REOPENING PHASE I – May 18, 2020 to June 7, 2020
College administrators and some maintenance employees have worked on campus since the closure and move to all online on March 20, 2020. CTE students needing to finish lab work for the spring semester return to campus with the CTE faculty for those courses. Additional support staff return to campus on a limited basis. A checkpoint is established off of Collegiate Drive and off of Clarksville St. and all individuals entering campus must have a temperature check and assurance of no COVID symptoms and masks are required on campus.
REOPENING PHASE II – June 8, 2020 to July 15, 2020
Additional CTE faculty and limited support staff return to campus. Open Testing Center.
REOPENING PHASE III – July 15, 2020 – August 17, 2020
During this time, all full-time twelve-month employees return to work. On August 3, 2020, buildings will be opened for students to test, apply, and register for the fall semester.
REOPENING PHASE IV - August 17, 2020
Campus and Centers open for fall semester with safety protocols in place. The practices outlined below will be implemented to help assure a safe and measured reopening of Paris Junior College campuses in order to transition back to in-person instruction and operations while putting measures in place to protect PJC campus communities. The virus that causes COVID-19 is still circulating in our communities. We need to continue to observe practices that protect everyone, including those who are most vulnerable.
Health Protocols for PJC Community Members and Campus Visitors
- All PJC Community members and campus visitors must wear a face covering while on campus in a public place. A public setting is any indoor space other than your own private office, residence, or personal vehicle. Facemasks/face coverings also must be worn in private areas when occupied by more than one person. Public settings include lobbies, classrooms, restrooms, cafeterias, common spaces of residence halls/dorms, conference rooms and break rooms. You should also wear a face covering if you are in an outdoor area and cannot maintain a 6 foot social distancing perimeter between you and other people. Appropriate use of face masks/coverings is critical in minimizing risk to others near you. PJC expects the campus community to provide their own personal face coverings. Faculty have the right to require students to wear face masks in class and to remove students from class if they fail to comply.
- Paris Junior College recommends that all individuals wash or sanitize their hands upon entering the reopened campus operation. It is also recommended that all PJC Community (students, faculty, staff and campus visitors) wash or sanitize their hands regularly throughout their time on campus.
- PJC Community members will be trained on appropriate cleaning, disinfection, hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette. An instructional video is available on the PJC website to provide such training.
- Physical Distancing/Social Distancing – the CDC recommends all individuals maintain at least six (6) feet separation from other individuals. Social distancing must be practiced even when face coverings and masks are being worn.
- PJC will limit the number of individuals assigned to classrooms or auditoriums to allow for recommended social/physical distancing of 6 feet or more between individual students. Each classroom has been evaluated to determine the Social Distancing capacity.
- PJC will utilize staggered or rotating class schedules if necessary to help reduce classroom occupancy in order to maintain a safe environment of physical distancing.
- PJC will use class rosters and student participation to monitor and record attendance to provide student tracking information in the event of positive testing individuals. PJC Community members will be responsible for providing their contacts if they become ill. The contact tracer could ask an individual to reconstruct their previous week and list all persons they came in contact with during that time frame.
- PJC will have contingency plans ready and instructions outlined in course syllabi for a rapid return to online instruction if an increase in local infections or state mandates require physical distancing.
- Signs are posted in highly visible locations that promote everyday protective measures and describe how to stop the spread of germs (such as properly washing hands and properly wearing a cloth face covering).
- All PJC Community members will self-screen for symptoms of COVID-19 (listed below) prior to coming onto campus each day, which should include taking their own temperature and screening for possible Covid-19 symptoms as listed below:
- All PJC Community members will evaluate daily for symptoms of COVID-19 - have they recently begun experiencing any of the following in a way that is not normal for them? (Note: Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus).
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- New loss of taste or smell
- Nausea or vomiting
- Chills
- Diarrhea
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- Congestion or runny nose
- Any PJC Community member or campus visitor with new or worsening signs (or any symptoms listed above) will not be allowed to return to any reopened campus operation until: 1. At least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications); 2. The individual has improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and 3. At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
- In the case of a PJC Community member or campus visitor who has symptoms that could be COVID-19 who has not been evaluated by a medical professional or tested for COVID- 19, the individual should be assumed to have COVID-19, and the individual may not return to the reopened campus operation until the individual has completed the same three-step criteria listed above.
- If the PJC Community member or campus visitor has symptoms that could be COVID-19 and wants to return to a reopened campus operation before completing the above self-isolation period, the individual must either (a) obtain a medical professional’s note clearing the individual for return based on an alternative diagnosis or (b) receive two separate confirmations at least 24 hours apart that they are free of COVID-19 via acute infection tests at an approved COVID-19 testing location.
- A PJC Community member or campus visitor with known close contact (see Public Health Recommendations for Community-Related Exposure) to a person who is lab-confirmed to have COVID-19 is not allowed to return to the reopened campus operation until the end of the 10 day self-quarantine period from the last date of exposure.
- Mr. Ed McCraw will be the primary COVID-19 liaison responsible for communicating and coordinating with the local health department, local emergency services, and local health care providers. PJC Community members will be notified of the Primary Covid-19 liaison name and contact information.
- Fall courses at PJC will transition to an online format after Thanksgiving to prevent COVID-19 spread due to holiday travel.
- Any requests for outside visitors to campus must be approved by the President and will require appropriate justification. Visitors will need to complete COVID protocol training and self-assessment certification.
- Vulnerable student, faculty, and staff populations can get assistance to establish a plan to protect their health and safety by contacting the PJC Advising & Counseling Center or calling 903-782-0426 (Paris campus) or 903-454-9333 (Greenville Center) or 903-885-1232 (Sulphur Springs Center) to schedule an appointment.
Circumstances under which PJC Community members should not come to campus:
- Any PJC Community member who has tested positive or who is exhibiting symptoms related to COVID-19 illness.
- Those who have had contact with others who have COVID-19 and are still within their 10 day quarantine window.
- PJC Community members who have recently traveled to areas with self-isolation requirements.
- PJC Community members who have recently completed COVID-19 testing with results pending.
- Employees who are at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 (Vulnerable Populations – requires medical verification/documantation) should consult their supervisor to seek accommodations to continue working remotely.
