MSJC Board approves Vaccine/Testing Policy

9/13/2021

The Mt. San Jacinto Community College District Board of Trustees on Thursday, Sept. 9, approved vaccine and testing policies for all students, faculty and staff who visit the college's campuses for classes, athletics, or any other activities.

The updated procedures under the Communicable Disease policies 5210 (students) and 7330 (employees) call for the district to continue with its current protocols for attendance of face-to-face courses, on campus services, and extra-curricular activities, including athletics. The requirements to wear masks and complete the daily COVID-19 symptom checklist continue to be in place. The plan includes exemptions for medical and religious reasons. The district is working to secure a third-party vendor to assist with vaccinations and weekly testing for everyone regardless of vaccination status to meet a planned target date of Nov. 1 for full implementation of the new program.

The current goal is to start the Spring 2022 semester with the new program in place. The district will ask the board to review data in December to determine if this program is working and still in line with COVID-19 trends.

The decision to implement a vaccine/testing program came in response to the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the region. The plan enables the superintendent/president to amend the program as needed based on the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.