SALINAS — All current and incoming students at Hartnell College will be asked to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 by no later than Dec. 10 in preparation for the spring 2022 semester, the school announced in an email to students on Friday.
“The pandemic is still with us, and along with such precautions as masking and physical distancing, widespread vaccination is essential to stopping the spread of this deadly virus,” the email read.
The Dec. 10 student deadline is an update of a vaccination mandate adopted by the Hartnell board on Sept. 21. A similar cutoff date of Dec. 13 has been set for employees to be fully vaccinated, though further details for implementation are pending the outcome of ongoing discussions with bargaining units.
Medical and religious exemptions will be available for students and employees alike.
In finalizing a timeline for the student vaccine mandate, Hartnell said it hopes to ensure all students are vaccinated, or at least aware of when the requirement will go into effect, before registration for the college’s spring semester begins in early November.
Any students who do not submit proof of full vaccination by Dec. 10 will be disenrolled from spring classes, which are set to begin on Jan. 24. Students can re-enroll so long as they provide proof of vaccination. Likewise, all other students who enroll for the spring after the vaccine mandate goes into effect will have to provide proof of vaccination at the time of registration.
Currently enrolled students may complete their fall 2021 classes regardless of vaccination status.
The upcoming requirement applies to all Hartnell students whether they take in-person or online classes, as on-campus college facilities and services are available to those enrolled in any capacity.
The deadline does not, however, apply to those in Hartnell’s Dual Enrollment program, which allows high school students in partnering Monterey County school districts to take college credit courses. Similarly, incarcerated students are also excluded from the Hartnell vaccination mandate.
With vaccine requirements in place, Hartnell expects more than two-thirds of all spring semester classes to be taught face-to-face or in a hybrid format — an improvement over the 50-50 split between online and in-person instruction this fall.
Like Hartnell, Monterey Peninsula College is well on its way to securing a fully vaccinated campus. After the MPC governing board voted unanimously to require vaccinations for all students and employees on Oct. 14, the school is now in the process of determining when mandates will go into effect with no set deadlines determined as of yet.