9.7.1 Closings Resulting from Inclement Weather or Emergencies

Policy Tracking	Date
Approved	May 13, 2024
Revised	May 13, 2024
Reviewed	May 13, 2024

The President or a designee will authorize all closings because of adverse weather or emergencies. The College will publish closing or delayed schedule announcements using a variety of media. Students, employees and members of the public can receive announcements via the College’s website, or local radio and television stations, or popular social media platforms. Current and active subscribers to the Blue Ridge Alert system may receive announcements via automated voice phone call, text message, or email. Announcements will specify openings, closings, and delayed schedules for both day and evening classes, and for both the Henderson County Campus and the Transylvania County Campus. Morning announcements should be made by 6 a.m. A separate announcement about evening classes will be made by 2 p.m.
When the College closes, delays opening, or closes early, such times may not always coincide with announced closings of local public schools, colleges or governmental agencies. It is also possible, for example, that classes at the Transylvania County Campus may be held while the Henderson County Campus is closed. In some cases, off-campus instruction may continue when safety permits and when those class locations are deemed operational by other agencies. Examples include: Health Sciences Program clinical sites, and training sites at business and industry locations. In cases when the Colleges announces a delayed opening, if any portion of a scheduled class or lab can be held after the opening time, then that remaining portion of the class must be held.
When the College is officially closed, other groups or organizations meeting or working on campus will keep the same hours as the College faculty and staff. Cancellation or rescheduling of public performances held on campus for which tickets are pre-sold will be announced separately.
The following employees working in essential positions may be asked by the President to perform duties on days when the College is closed or its opening is delayed: vice presidents, deans, directors, custodians, groundskeepers, security personnel, switchboard operators, or employees whose services may be needed to ensure proper operation and maintenance of College functions during the period of closure.
It is the responsibility of each employee to make a good faith effort to come to work during times of adverse weather. Employees not working in essential positions listed above, who anticipate travel difficulties may use vacation (or bonus) leave to cover such absences. Similarly, vacation leave may be used in situations where the College has remained open and where impending adverse weather may make travel from work to home difficult. Full-time employees are not required to report time not worked as an absence. Non-exempt employees, who are required to work, shall receive compensatory time at a later date approved by the employee's supervisor as provided for in Procedure 3.6.2 Compensatory and Overtime Hours.
In those rare circumstances when the College closes, delays, or closes early because of adverse weather or emergencies, employees on prearranged vacation or sick leave will be charged leave for the hours the College was closed. Non-exempt employees who are required to work shall receive compensatory time at hour-for- hour time or time-and- a-half as approved by the employee’s supervisor as provided for working on days when closures results from inclement weather or emergencies in compliance with Procedure 3.6.2 Compensatory and Overtime Hours.
When the College is closed for inclement weather or other emergencies, instructors must properly document how any instructional time was made up, whether it is for the whole or a portion of the class time. The documentation must be attached to the class roster at the end of the semester. If the number of instructional days missed due to inclement weather or other emergencies exceeds five days in a semester, make-up days will be scheduled. Recommendations to schedule make-up days for classes missed because of inclement weather or other emergencies will originate with the Vice President for Instruction and must be approved by the President. If specific days are designated as make-up days, all traditional classes will meet on those days as regularly scheduled class days. Hybrid and Web-assisted classes may meet on those days or continue to use one of the make-up options described below, at the instructor’s discretion. Deans will make every effort to work with instructors to schedule make-up classes.
Options for making up class time are as follows:
1. Use a make-up day as described above.
2. All courses, regardless of delivery method, can use the College’s LMS to provide instruction to students when the College is closed. This instruction should be equivalent to the time missed and may include online discussions, PowerPoint presentations, video lectures, or other means approved by the Vice President for Instruction. Assignments normally occurring as part of the class would not be an acceptable means to make up time.
3. Instruction may be made up by adding sufficient extra time to other class meetings or by scheduling additional class meetings that do not conflict with room schedules or student schedules. This option must be approved by the appropriate dean.
4. Clinical classes: Any clinical time missed due to inclement weather must be made up in order to meet the requirements of the various accrediting boards. The Dean of Health Sciences and Emergency Services (for nursing, surgical technology, and EMS) will work with the clinical agencies to reschedule any missed clinical time and submit a report to the Vice President for Instruction.
If a part-time temporary instructor being compensated on a per-hour basis misses classes due to emergency closing of the College and does not make up actual time, the reported student hours in membership and instructor compensation must be adjusted.
For traditional, blended, and hybrid classes, if the census date needs to be adjusted due to inclement weather, the new census date will be no earlier than the first actual face-to-face meeting after the inclement weather period.