COVID-19 Faculty FAQ

University policy requires all faculty, staff, and students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with exemptions for medical or religious reasons as required by law.

Faculty should avoid specifically inquiring as to a student’s vaccination status due to privacy related concerns. Students that have been approved for an exemption from vaccination have been informed of their responsibilities on campus, including masking, social distancing (to the extent practical), self-monitoring, and participation in COVID-19 surveillance testing. Designated University staff are aware of and monitoring individuals granted an exemption.

As of October 29, 2021, the University reimplemented its daily Symptom Self-Checker requirement for vaccinated and unvaccinated students. Faculty may require all students to display their “Green” badges prior to entry into class.

Yes, the University is permitting partially vaccinated students (i.e. received at least 1 shot out of a two-dose regimen) to enter campus and attend classes during the period in which they are awaiting their second dose. The University is tracking and following up with students in these circumstances to ensure they become fully vaccinated in a timely manner.

See Compliance with Policy on the COVID-19 website at https://www.ndm.edu/ndmu-together/general-health-safety. If a student refuses to comply, you may request them to leave the classroom. If they refuse to leave, the faculty member may contact Public Safety. Alleged mask violations regarding students may be reported to Diane Villar, Associate Dean of Inclusion & Community Standards at dvillar@ndm.edu.  

As a general rule, no. However, it may be possible that there are circumstances in which an exception may be granted on a case by case basis as a part of the ADA/504 accommodation process. Such an accommodation would need to be requested and approved via the Office of Human Resources.

Additional information on Baltimore City’s Mask Mandate is available at: Baltimore City’s Mask Mandate (PDF).

Remind the student to complete a self-report form on our website. All students who have a positive case of COVID-19 or a close contact with an individual diagnosed with COVID-19 should complete the self-report form via https://www.ndm.edu/ndmu-together/covid-19-self-report-form. Faculty may also submit a report to COVID_SL@ndm.edu.

Generally, individuals who are fully vaccinated may come to campus/class in the event of a close contact (within 6 feet of someone for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone who has COVID-19. See the University’s Flowchart for additional information.

After reporting, a member of the Student Life Contact Tracing team will touch base with the student to obtain information such as close contacts and determine next steps, including a quarantine/isolation period, if applicable. Relevant information, including a student’s period of absence, will be communicated to individual faculty members by the Director of Accessibility and Health Promotion, University Nurse, or relevant School Dean. Faculty members may also reach out to their relevant School Dean, University Nurse, or the Office of Accessibility and Health Promotion to confirm the University has received the report.

The faculty member, the Office of Accessibility and Health Promotion, and respective School Dean will discuss any accommodations needed for the student. This may include but is not limited to temporarily providing to a hybrid learning option utilizing video conferencing software (e.g. Zoom, Teams, Bongo, etc.) and OWL/MeetUp technology, recording lectures, and the like.

Some high utilization classrooms remain equipped with OWL/MeetUp technology; the remaining technology has been placed into inventory in order to quickly respond and deploy as needed.

Given the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the overlap of symptoms with the common cold, influenza, and the like, this situation is likely to occur. Students should submit notification of the absence via email to their instructor either prior to the absence or as soon afterwards as possible.

It is important to affirm that class absences, COVID-19-related or not, do not alter the academic requirements of any course and students remain responsible for information and material missed during the absence.

If a student reports such a situation, faculty members should treat such instances as any other illness-related absence and may grant reasonable individual academic accommodations as necessary and appropriate for their specific class.

All faculty should be mindful of the University’s non-discrimination obligations under federal law. As a general matter, academic accommodations granted to one student should be made available to another student in similar circumstances.  

If an individual begins to experience COVID-19 symptoms while at work or in class, the individual should promptly depart campus or return to their residence hall room, contact their healthcare provider, and complete the University’s Self-Report Form. 

The individual should promptly seek COVID-19 testing. The University offers appointments for rapid COVID-19 test via Kaitlin Pillion, University Nurse, at kpillion@ndm.edu. Additionally, if you are a staff or faculty member, alert your supervisor of your departure as soon as reasonably possible.

If an individual has a known history of seasonal allergies and symptoms that are consistent with seasonal allergies (e.g., sneezing, nasal congestion, sore throat and/or cough related to post nasal drip without fever) and symptoms remain stable, then the individual member is permitted to return to campus but should continue to monitor symptoms. If symptoms are suggestive of an infection, the individual should leave work and get tested for COVID-19.

All Schools are required to follow the University’s COVID-19 policies and procedures. As a general principal, Schools do not have the ability to unilaterally modify policies or add additional restrictions. However, it is possible that there may circumstances in which a modification, exception, or additional restriction to a policy may be granted by the Provost, in consultation with the COVID-19 Coordinator, on a case by case basis given a specific School’s circumstances.  

As the pandemic continues to evolve, NDMU’s policies will continue to change. However, we recognize and understand that every circumstance cannot be predicted or adequately addressed via published guidance. Faculty are encouraged to first bring any issues or concerns to their respective Deans. Deans are members of the COVID-19 Steering Committee and also routinely consult with the Provost and COVID-19 Coordinator. Additionally, we will continue to update this FAQ on a routine basis.