Dear Faculty Colleagues,
As referenced in President Frenk’s message of August 2, we continue to work diligently to ensure a successful year by minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission with an emphasis on mask-wearing, vaccination, surveillance testing, and contact tracing.
Notably, there was no evidence of classroom-based transmission last year when the vaccination rate was zero in the fall and far lower in the spring than it is at present.
As the pandemic has evolved, age and many pre-existing medical conditions are no longer broadly considered to be high-risk factors as defined a year ago due to the availability of vaccination, knowledge of the virus, and accepted and effective risk reduction measures that are widely available.
In light of our experience over the past academic year, no alterations to the mode of in-person classroom teaching are planned.
However, recognizing the possibility that exceptional cases may exist, we have created a mechanism for individuals to initiate a review process for their requests.
Faculty members with extraordinary health considerations for whom it would be medically contraindicated to be in class may submit requests and supporting documentation for an in-person teaching exemption to the Office of Faculty Affairs using this link.
Once submitted, each request will be considered by a Medical Review Committee, which will be chaired by Dr. Roy Weiss, our chief medical officer for COVID-19. Any exemptions from in-person teaching will be based on accepted strict medical criteria. All requests must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. Eastern time on August 17, 2021.
Thank you for your commitment to offering our students the best possible educational experience. |
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