Spring 2022 registration has begun, and there are still no updates on whether or not Citrus will implement a vaccine mandate.
California has mandated vaccines for students and staff at private and public K-12 schools, Cal States and UC’s. Some community colleges are following the same path, and many faculty are trying to get Citrus to do the same.
Surrounding community colleges like Chaffey, Rio Hondo and Norco have implemented a vaccine mandate making Citrus and Mt. Sac the outliers.
There is currently no vaccine policy for community colleges. For those that don’t require the vaccine, staff and students have mandatory weekly testing.
Whether the Board of Trustees decides to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for the upcoming semester is one issue, but giving students fair warning about their decision could affect their registration decisions.
“We are doing everything we can to keep students and staff safe, but this is a complicated issue that keeps evolving,” Board of Trustees President Patricia Rasmussen said.
The ethics of a vaccine mandate only becomes more complicated when students’ registration decisions depend on it.
Students like Jalen Shay, who is unvaccinated and registered for on-campus classes for spring, said he might drop out if vaccines are mandated.
He also said he wasn’t aware of the faculty petition.
Some vaccinated students like William Zenda, who is also registered for on-campus classes, may be uncomfortable returning to campus “because those who are not vaccinated can catch it and spread it to other students.”
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said because vaccines are not 100% effective, some fully vaccinated people will still get COVID-19. Therefore, both vaccinated and unvaccinated people can spread and catch COVID-19.
In an email to campus from Superintendent/President Greg Schulz said that since mandatory weekly testing at Citrus began, 6,412 employee tests have been completed, returning only two positives, and 14,541 student tests with 11 coming back positive. The positivity rate for both students and employees is less than 1%.
With the vaccination status of these positive cases unknown, and the lack of data from colleges that have implemented a vaccine mandate, it can still be said that Citrus is relatively safe even without a mandate.
Many of the schools requiring vaccines have stopped sharing data on their positive cases.
At their Sept. 7 meeting, the Board of Trustees decided to physically access any District building, classroom, library, gymnasium, facility, or other indoor setting, students and employees shall either: 1) present proof that they have been fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus; or 2) undergo regular testing for COVID-19 infection and produce proof of negative COVID-19 test results.
“The Board has the right to implement different requirements, based on the current data and guidance available from state and local public health agencies,” Schulz said.
In the event of an emergency or a change in state guidelines, requirements can change.
In their petition, faculty requested to be allowed to teach online if the Board of Trustees refused to mandate vaccines.
“In accordance with collective bargaining regulations, the College has developed memorandums of understanding with the Citrus College Faculty Association, on behalf of all full-time faculty,” Schulz said.
The petition was sent after the completion of the winter and spring schedules, which were created with the input of faculty and staff.
“As a result, faculty and staff may submit an accommodation request to our Human Resources department for consideration,” Schulz said.
Schulz said mandatory testing for all, regardless of vaccination status, will remain for the rest of the fall semester and be reassessed following a review of recent campus and countywide data at that time.
Currently, all safety measures at Citrus are in accordance with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Cal/OSHA and the State of California regulations.
