Interim Policy Regarding Students, Faculty and Staff
Traveling in or Arriving from SARS Affected Areas

The Tennessee Technology Center at McMinnville has developed this interim policy in response to the public health risks posed by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ("SARS"). The Tennessee Technology Center at McMinnville has NOT encountered any suspected cases of SARS, but remains concerned about the health of every member of the TTCM community. The TTCM recognizes that the terms of this policy will create some hardship in individual cases, and further recognizes that it cannot eliminate every risk of potential exposure to this disease. Cooperation and compliance with this policy; however, is the TTCM's best means of insuring that our campus remains a safe and healthy environment for everyone.

This policy is designated as an interim policy due to the dynamic nature of the available information on SARS. This policy may be revised on short notice as new information becomes available. Students, Faculty and Staff members who are contemplating travel to or from a "SARS affected area" as defined herein are encouraged to check this policy frequently for recent revisions.

Effective immediately, the following procedure will apply to all students, faculty and staff, including new students and employees, who have traveled in a SARS affected area. A "SARS affected area" shall be any country, city, or region for which the United States Centers for Disease Control ("CDC") has issued either a travel "alert" or a travel "advisory." At this time, the SARS affected areas are:

  1. The People's Republic of China, including Hong Kong
  2. Taiwan
  3. Toronto, Canada

The SARS affected areas will change as countries and cities are added and/or removed by the CDC. Current information regarding SARS affected areas may be accessed at the following CDC web page: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/travel.htm

At this time, the best available information suggests that the incubation period for most SARS cases is ten days. The CDC currently recommends that persons who have traveled in a SARS affected area monitor their health closely for ten days after leaving the area; therefore, this policy has been developed in light of the CDC's recommendations and guidelines regarding the incubation period.

THIS POLICY IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.


STUDENTS

  1. Students traveling in or arriving from a SARS affected area must arrive in the United States AT LEAST ten days before the start date for each quarter's classes. Students who arrive on campus before they have been in the U.S. for at least ten days must report to LPN Instructors for initial SARS screening, the LPN Students who can demonstrate through a stamped passport, visa, or airline ticket that they arrived in the U.S. at least ten days before the start of classes may go to LPN Instructors at the TTCM AFTER the tenth day and, provided they have remained symptom free, receive a complete clearance to attend classes.
  2. Students who can demonstrate hardship beyond their control regarding their ability to arrive in the United States at least ten days before the start of classes will be required to report immediately to LPN Instructors upon their arrival on campus for the quarters. Hardship may be demonstrated through evidence of factors such as the inability to obtain a necessary visa in time to arrive ten days prior to the start of classes; previously purchased nonrefundable airline tickets; or clear and convincing evidence that the student failed to receive notice of this requirement despite the TTCM's best efforts to contact him or her regarding the requirements of this policy.
  3. LPN Instructors will determine, through an initial SARS screening, whether students falling within the hardship exception will receive a conditional clearance to attend classes. Students who receive such conditional clearance will be required to undergo twice daily monitoring by the LPN Instructors staff for a period of ten days (or the remainder of the ten day period that began when they entered the United States.) Whenever LPN Instructors are not available due to the center being closed (holidays, weekends, and nights, students undergoing monitoring will be required to monitor and record his/her temperature twice daily and monitor for symptoms of SARS. The recorded temperatures will be turned in to the LPN Instructors at the next visit to LPN Instructors during the monitoring process.
  4. Students who have been monitored twice daily for the applicable period and remain symptom free at the end of that period will receive complete clearance from LPN Instructors.
  5. Students who chose to travel in a SARS affected area during the term of a quarters must be prepared to remain away from campus, including classes, for at least ten days after their return to the United States. These students will be individually responsible for making arrangements with their individual instructors to address issues of missed classes, assignments, and/or exams that may occur during this ten day period. Students who can demonstrate through a stamped passport, visa, or airline ticket that they have been in the U.S. at least ten days after their travel in a SARS affected area may go to LPN Instructors at the TTCM AFTER the tenth day and, provided they have remained symptom free, receive a complete clearance to attend classes.
  6. Students who fail to report that they have traveled in or arrived from a SARS affected area and/or fail to cooperate with the monitoring process will be subject to interim suspension from the TTCM until such time as they are in compliance with this policy.

 

FACULTY  AND  STAFF

At this time, the TTCM is not supporting student, faculty or staff travel to SARS affected areas that other employees may choose to travel in such areas on their own.

This policy is applicable to all faculty and staff; including new and incoming employees, student workers, and temporary employees, who have recently traveled in a SARS affected area.


FACULTY:

  1. Faculty who travel in or arrive from SARS affected areas are expected to arrive in the United States AT LEAST TEN DAYS BEFORE BEGINNING OR RESUMING FACULTY DUTIES.
  2. Faculty who can demonstrate through a stamped passport, visa, or airline ticket that they arrived in the U.S. at least ten days prior to beginning or resuming faculty duties may go LPN Instructors any time after the tenth day and, provided they have remained symptom free, receive a complete clearance to assume faculty duties.
  3. Failure to arrive in the United States at least ten days before beginning or resuming faculty duties will render a faculty member ineligible to perform any faculty responsibilities on campus. If the TTCS must cover the on-campus responsibilities of the faculty member during this period, the faculty member will be required to take sick leave until the ten day period has expired and the faculty member has received clearance from LPN Instructors.
  4. Deliberate failure to comply with this policy may subject the faculty member to employment discipline.


STAFF:

  1. Staff members, INCLUDING STUDENT WORKERS AND TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES, who travel in or arrive from SARS affected areas must arrive in the United States at least ten days BEFORE performing any employment duties on campus. Staff members who are not authorized to telecommute or otherwise work from their home will be required to take sick leave, or leave without pay if no sick leave is available, until the ten day period has expired and the staff member has received clearance from LPN Instructors.
  2. Newly hired staff members who have traveled in or arrived from a SARS affected area will not be permitted to begin working on campus until the ten day period has expired.
  3. Staff members may go to LPN Instructors AFTER the tenth day and, provided they have remained symptom free, receive a complete clearance to begin or resume employment duties on campus. Staff members must be able to demonstrate through a stamped passport, visa, or airline ticket that they arrived in the U.S. at least ten days prior requesting complete clearance from LPN Instructors.

  4. Deliberate failure to comply with this policy may subject the staff member to employment discipline.  In addition to the procedures outlined in the policy, the TTCM, at a minimum, will act in conformance with the guidelines of both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC") and the World Health Organization ("WHO") regarding travel in and arrivals from SARS affected areas as they are issued an updated. Information regarding these guidelines may be accessed at the following locations on the internet:.

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Both the CDC and WHO guidelines may change as the global situation regarding SARS changes; therefore, all students, faculty and staff contemplating travel to or from SARS affected areas should check these guidelines frequently since the TTCS will comply with the recommendations of these organizations as they are issued and updated.