AACC will continue to follow federal, state and local restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, these restrictions are subject to change and the college will remain flexible to respond appropriately to any changes in status. For the most recent information about the county guidelines, visit the Anne Arundel County Department of Health website.
In response to the COVID-19 delta variant, AACC requires all students and employees to either certify to being fully vaccinated or test weekly for COVID-19. If unvaccinated, you must submit proof of a COVID-19 test result on a weekly basis, unless you have applied for and been granted an accommodation by the college.
All Anne Arundel County residents five and older are eligible for the vaccine in accordance with the county’s vaccination timeline. AACC currently serves as a vaccination site for Anne Arundel County. You can find a list of all the current vaccination sites on the Anne Arundel County Department of Health website.
Masks are required indoors at all AACC facilities regardless of vaccination status. For any off-site locations not owned or controlled by the college, students in AACC classes are required to wear a mask within that classroom. A limited supply of extra masks are available at the Department of Public Safety and Police’s communication desk in the Central Services Building. College employees who wish to order additional masks should call Arlene Crow at 410-777-2072 or email acrow@aacc.edu. Administrative offices may also have a supply of extra masks.
Students, faculty and staff are recommended to continue social distancing, but this is not required.
To protect the safety and public health of the AACC campus and community, all employees, students, visitors, volunteers, vendors and contractors are still required to complete an attestation form. This is a health pledge that an individual is not experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, has not tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days or has not been exposed to COVID-19 in the last 14 days if the individuals has not been vaccinated, and will monitor their health.
More details are below.
All students will complete an attestation form when registering for classes. This is required even if all of your classes are online. If you are enrolled in classes, your attestation is automatically included when you register so you don't have to complete another one.
All employees are required to submit a health attestation form even if they are working from home.
The attestation is set up as a Microsoft form. Log in as you normally would on the college’s sign-in page, read each statement and, if appropriate, click on the “Agree” box, sign and complete the form. We also have a Spanish language version of the form available.
The information will be stored securely and you will receive an email confirmation with a copy of the attestation for your records. If you have any questions, contact Human Resources at humanresources@aacc.edu.
Download, print and sign the Visitor Attestation Regarding COVID-19. Email the form to COVIDsafety@aacc.edu when completed.
Vendors, contractors and suppliers that are required to be present on college property should follow these Guidelines to Vendors, Contractors and Suppliers Regarding COVID-19.
If an employee or student is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, do not come to campus.
Common COVID-19 symptoms are:
The college’s COVID safety staff will advise the appropriate supervisors, employees, faculty and staff on next steps. The COVID safety staff will manage each individual case from initial report to clearance to return to campus. COVID safety will officially notify any presumptive case when they are cleared to return to campus.
A college representative will contact any campus-related individuals that the employee or student has come into close contact with, stating that they must quarantine until further notice because they may have been exposed to a presumptively ill person while on campus, unless the individual was fully vaccinated prior to the exposure. To the extent possible, the college will not disclose personally identifiable information. Local health departments may also conduct contact tracing and advise employees and students of next steps regarding testing and quarantine requirements.
AACC provides the following general protocols for individuals who are either experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, receiving a positive COVID-19 test result or having been exposed to someone with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case. In general, the college follows the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Maryland Department of Health and the Anne Arundel County Health Department regarding requirements for isolation and quarantine. We reserve the right to make changes to these protocols based on the facts and circumstances or guidance from public health or medical professionals.
Employees and students who are either experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, received a positive COVID-19 test result or have been exposed to someone with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case, must submit a COVID-19 Report Form to the college within no more than 24 hours.
The college’s COVID safety staff will advise the appropriate supervisors, faculty and staff regarding individuals that are required to isolate or quarantine. The COVID safety staff will manage each individual case from initial report to clearance for return to campus. The COVID safety staff will officially notify the employee or student subject to isolate or quarantine and their instructors or supervisors, as appropriate, when they are cleared to return to campus.
Depending on the circumstances, the COVID safety staff may contact any employee or student who has come into close contact with a person who is experiencing symptoms, testing positive or having an exposure to a person with COVID-19 to determine the appropriate safety measures that must be taken. To the extent possible, the college will not disclose personally identifiable information. Local health departments may also conduct contact tracing and advise employees and students of next steps regarding testing and quarantine requirements.
Federal law prohibits employers from discharging or discriminating against an employee for reporting work-related injuries or illness and from discriminating against an employee for exercising rights under, or as a result of actions that are required by, federal law. Federal law also protects the employee from retaliation for filing an occupational safety or health complaint, reporting a work-related injuries or illness or otherwise exercising any rights afforded by the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Regardless of vaccination status, if you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, you must:
Regardless of vaccination status, if you tested positive for COVID-19, you must:
Regardless of vaccination status, if you came into close contact with someone who has COVID-19, you must:
We have implemented protocols both inside and outside of the classroom in accordance with public health guidelines while keeping our community safe.
If a presumptively ill student is present on campus, the instructor will cancel the class until further notice. If an instructor cancels a class, the instructor must notify the Assistant Dean/Director/Dean immediately via email that class has been canceled due to a presumptively ill student being present in a classroom. If the presumptively ill student was in another room or office on campus, the room or office will be immediately closed and will not be reopened until the room or office is sanitized.
If a presumptively ill employee is present on campus, the supervisor will require the employee to leave campus immediately until further notice. The college will determine which spaces on campus need to be temporarily closed and sanitized and conduct contact tracing to work with the county health department to determine if others need to quarantine.
The college will follow CDC guidance for cleaning and disinfection as follows:
Operations can resume as soon as the cleaning and disinfection are completed.
Facilities routinely conducts building assessments to ensure that all systems are functional, including the standardized process of “pre-semester checks”, which focus on the functionality and safety of all student-centric spaces. These assessments have been updated to include specific COVID-19 checklists.
Physical barriers (plexiglass) have been installed to the extent possible at service counter locations throughout the college. Facilities continues to ensure that all energy management systems are functioning properly and regularly monitors air quality and filtration systems.
The custodial staff is responsible for disinfecting classrooms every evening.
The virus that causes COVID-19 can be killed readily with disinfectant products, including sprays, concentrates and wipes. Facilities has increased cleaning and disinfecting of high-touch surfaces and restrooms. Some surfaces are cleaned multiple times a day based on usage: light switches, door handles, handrails, drinking fountains, plumbing fixtures, restroom stalls, etc.
The custodial staff is responsible for disinfecting all hard surfaces in common areas nightly including door levers, work surfaces, hard seating, hallways, classrooms, restrooms, etc. Most of this cleaning happens every evening, Monday–Friday. Electrostatic sprayers are used for large area disinfection and in restrooms.
Hand sanitizer is provided on every floor in every building at the entrances. Keyboards, mice, PCs, peripherals, etc. in common areas are disinfected several times per week. Hand washing instruction signs have been placed in all bathrooms on the front doors and inside the restrooms on the mirrors.
As with many of these procedures, the cleaning protocols are subject to change based on guidance from health officials.
Employees and students should review the latest CDC guidance for cleaning and disinfecting.
Everyone at AACC will be expected to do their part. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to wipe down their work areas as they enter the location, before beginning their work. All classrooms, labs and spaces where students meet with faculty or staff will be supplied with cleaning supplies.
Employees are responsible for their personal spaces. Everyone is encouraged to wipe down their hard surfaces with a disinfectant. The college will provide disinfectant and paper towels in labs, classrooms and office suites. These materials will be replenished each day. Custodians will remove all trash, vacuum, and clean doorknobs, keypads and light switches nightly.
Faculty or lab staff should work with their departments to create a plan for each hands-on course to ensure self-cleaning duties are assigned. Students should be shown how to fully clean and disinfect any special equipment or tools that they are required to use in their courses.
Custodial support requests and any other questions can be directed to 410-777-2345.
The college follows American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards for our heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. Various Facilities Maintenance and Operations personnel monitor our building systems (air flow rates, static pressure, relative humidity, supply and return temperatures, etc.) multiple times daily. The college follows ASHRAE recommendations and conducts a 2-hour building air flush each day prior to occupancy by bringing in 100% outside air. The college has also upgraded all air filters to Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) 13, as recommended by ASHRAE.
Due to the lack of activity in some buildings and limited activity in others, the team is flushing the building water systems (faucets, water closets water fountains, etc.) on a weekly basis. This assures water clarity and quality.