Guiding Principles
Suffolk County Community College’s policies and procedures for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic have been and will continue to be governed by the principle that the safety of our students and employees is paramount, while continuing the College’s mission of education.
SUNY Suffolk’s plans are aligned and consistent with guidance from SUNY, local and state Departments of Health guidelines. The College is also following applicable recommendations from the federal government, PESH, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Limiting the spread of COVID-19 relies in large part on the personal responsibility of everyone on campus, through good personal hygiene practices, and closely monitoring personal health to recognize symptoms.
COVID-19 Requirements
SUNY System Administration has developed a System-wide solution to collect and track verified vaccination status of SUNY students, utilizing the New York State and New York City immunization databases. Students are advised that the College may be required to report vaccination information using the New State Immunization Information System (NYIIS). The college also reserves the right to verify vaccination status through these databases.
Masks are not required on campus, in classrooms, inside college buildings, labs, offices, common spaces, or in crowded outdoor settings and venues. Masking on campus is optional for all members of our community. It is anticipated that some employees and students alike may desire to continue using masks in indoor settings. Members of the Suffolk community have many different reasons to continue or discontinue masking. Individual needs and differences should be respected and mutually supported.
CDC Recommendations concerning COVID-19 have been updated effective March 1, 2024. Current precautions recommend that if you have symptoms of common respiratory viruses such as COVID-19, flu, and RSV, that aren’t better explained by another cause, you should stay home and away from others. Students can return to normal activities when their symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours, and, if they had a fever, when their fever has been gone without use of fever-reducing medication for at least 24 hours. After returning to normal activities, you should continue to take added precaution using prevention strategies such as wearing a well-fitting mask for the next 5 days, enhancing hygiene practices, keeping a distance from others, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors. If you develop a fever or start to feel worse after you have gone back to normal activities, the CDC recommends you follow the stay home precaution outlined above again before returning to normal activities.
Course Absences Due to COVID-19
Students who become ill and need to miss class or scheduled course activities as a result of illness should advise their instructor(s) as outlined in the attendance policy. Please note that students do not need to share individual/personal health information with the instructor. If you have questions about this, you should speak to your instructor, the Academic Chair responsible for the program, and/or the Associate Academic Dean on your campus.
