In the effort to keep the students, faculty, and staff of Long Beach City College as safe as possible, the Long Beach Community College District (LBCCD) Board of Trustees unanimously approved to require all employees and students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Enforcement of this requirement will begin in January 2022 as LBCC prepares for the full re-opening of both campuses in the Spring 2022 semester. 

The purpose of the vaccine mandate is to reduce the risk for transmission of the COVID-19 virus and to reduce the possible closures of classes, athletics, services, and activities that could occur if there were positive COVID-19 cases on campus.

Please review this email carefully as it will cover the following topics:

• Important deadlines for students and employees
• Fully online students
• Exemption process and forms for students and employees

Student Deadlines

• Students must submit their proof of vaccination or their medical or religious exemption request by Jan. 3, 2022. This will give LBCCD time to review and process the vaccination verification or their exemption request.
• Students should note the date of Jan. 24, 2022, which is two weeks prior to the start of the Spring 2022 semester. If students’ vaccination verification has not been cleared in the LBCC system, or if they have not received approval for their exemption by Jan. 24, 2022, they will be excluded from attending in-person, on-campus classes; accessing in-person, on-campus services or events; will not be allowed to register for an in-person class; and/or will be dropped from an in-person class after Jan. 24, 2022.

Please visit the Info for Students section on the Return to Campus website for instructions on how to submit your proof of vaccination via your desktop or mobile phone.

Fully Online Students

Fully online students who are accessing online-only classes and/or online-only services or events will not be required to provide proof of vaccination. However, fully online students who do not provide proof of vaccination will not be allowed to come to campus.

Employee Deadlines

The deadline for employees to submit their proof of vaccination or their request for a medical or religious exemption to LBCCD is tentatively Dec. 17, 2021. The District is working with its constituencies on logistics and the tentative Dec. 17, 2021 deadline. The provisional Dec. 17, 2021 deadline is to give LBCCD time to review, process exemptions, and update employee records by Jan. 3, 2022. If vaccination verification or approval of exemption requests has not been completed by Jan. 3, 2022, employees will be excluded from campus and deemed absent without leave.

Winter Session 2022 Faculty are exempted from the tentative Dec. 17, 2021 deadline. The provisional date for Winter Session 2022 Faculty to submit their vaccination verification or exemption request is Feb. 1, 2022.

We will send further communication about the Dec. 17, 2021 and the Feb. 1, 2022 deadlines once they are confirmed.

Please visit the Info for Students section on the Return to Campus website for instructions on how to submit your proof of vaccination via your desktop or mobile phone.

Exemptions

The District will comply with granting exemptions (medical or religious) or other accommodations as required by law.

• Medical exemptions would include underlying medical conditions that would compromise their health if they received a vaccine. An example of what would be granted is if an individual has an underlying medical condition that would compromise their health if they got a vaccine; for example, an allergy to a substance used in the vaccine. This medical note would be signed by their doctor.
• The religious exemption is in the form of a reasonable accommodation on the basis of a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance that conflicts with an educational or employment requirement, unless providing an accommodation would result in undue hardship on District’s operations. An example of what would not be granted are philosophical, political, conscientious, or sociological beliefs, or personal preferences. 
• All exemptions will be considered on an individualized, fact-specific, case-by-case basis.
• Please note that although an individual may be approved for a medical or religious exemption, they may be asked to provide a weekly negative COVID-19 test. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
• Please note that individuals may not be approved for medical or religious exemption and they will need to provide proof of full vaccination.

How to submit an exemption

• Employees may submit their Medical Accommodation Form signed by their doctor to CovidHRHelp@LBCC.edu.  A completed Religious Exemption Request should be submitted to CovidHRHelp@LBCC.edu. Both forms can be found on the Return to Campus page, in the new Vaccination Mandate section. Exemptions for most employees should be submitted no later than Dec. 17, 2021, and by Feb. 1, 2022 for Winter Session 2022 Faculty. Please note that the District is working with its constituencies on the logistics of these two deadlines.
• Students may submit their Medical Accommodation Form signed by their doctor to dmiller-calvert@lbcc.edu. A completed Religious Exemption Request can be submitted to dmiller-calvert@lbcc.edu. Both forms can be found on the Vaccination Mandate section, LBCC Student Health Services website, and Canvas page. Completed exemption forms should be submitted no later than Jan. 3, 2022.

More details about the process to implement the vaccination mandate are still being developed. LBCC will share this information as soon as it is available.

Requiring proof of vaccination will support a safer return of all on-campus classes and activities this Spring while eliminating the need for testing and physical distancing unless required by local health orders. For further details and vaccine clinic information, be sure to refer to the Return to Campus webpage for updates.

Thank you for your continued effort to keep us all as safe as possible at Long Beach City College.