Emergency Closings Procedure

Administrative Procedure 3.809

College Closing Policy

In the event of dangerous weather or other hazardous events that could place students, employees, or community members at risk, ECC must consider closing campus facilities, which may also include canceling academic classes, and internal and external events, and restricting access to the public. Making the decision to close campus facilities is always done with life safety as the primary objective and out of an abundance of caution. This procedure defines the process of closing campus facilities for up to two consecutive days (48 Hours). 

College Closing Procedure

1. Making the Decision to Close: The President or the Administrator in Charge can decide to close the college due to severe weather that may pose a threat to the safety or welfare of the students or staff either on campus property or while traveling to and from campus.
   1. The decision to close the college will apply to all college locations, and all classes and activities will be canceled unless otherwise specified.
      1. Departments, employees, and faculty do not have the authority to cancel events, classes, or other activities on the basis of concerns outside of their department or work area, without formal approval of the Campus Emergency Operation Center. This means that employees may not cancel a public event for weather concerns without the approval of the CEOC. To request approval contact Emergency Management.
         1. Faculty can cancel classes following normal procedures in accordance with department procedures and the ECCFA contract. This cancelation should not be done for severe weather, or other concerns wider than the class.
2. Closings: Closing will cover a period of time to reduce the life safety risk. The period of time for the closing cannot exceed 2 days (48 hours).
   1. The length of time of the closing will be determined with each specific closing decision.
   2. To open the campus safely, closings may cover time beyond the length of the original hazard. This time might be used for debris removal, snow removal, building checks, or any activity needed to ensure the campus is cleared of life safety risks.
   3. Closings exceeding two days (48 hours) will require a Declaration of Emergency from the College President nullifying this admin procedure.
3. Basis of Decision: The factors determining a campus closure are varied and enumerable. The Campus Emergency Operations Center will be activated to collect, analyze, and disseminate all pertinent information related to and impacting the decision to close. The information collection and decision-making functions of the CEOC and Policy Group are covered in the Campus Emergency Operation Plan.
4. Staffing Guidelines: when a decision to close has been made are as follows:
   1. If the college is closed during work hours, before leaving, employees should confirm with their supervisor.
   2. Faculty and Staff, including scheduled part-time employees, are not expected to report for work.
      1. Employees, who are part of a bargaining unit, should refer to their Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) for concerns about compensation during closings.
      2. Grounds personnel, Campus Police personnel, and other necessary personnel (as specified in their job duties) will be expected to report for work in accordance with emergency work schedules.
         1. Employees who are required to work should refer to their CBAs or Administrative Procedures for rules concerning compensation. d) If any employee wants to leave before the scheduled closing, they must follow their normal approval process for leave and use personal time. This also applies to employees that would have a partial shift into the closing.
5. Student Guidelines: when a decision to close has been made are as follows:
   1. Students should contact their professors and make arrangements for assignment due dates and any changes due to the unscheduled closing.
6. Weather-Related Closings Time of Decision: Given the ability to forecast possible effects of weather, the college will try to make the determination to close as soon as possible. However, the latest the college will make the determination of closing is described below.
   1. For severe weather, the decision to close the college for day classes will be made after all determining factors have been reviewed, but no later than 5 a.m. on the day of the closing.
   2. For severe weather, the decision to close the college for evening classes that begin at 6 p.m. will be made as soon as possible after all determining factors have been reviewed, but no later than 4 p.m. The college will remain open for staff until 5 p.m. unless otherwise communicated.
   3. For classes scheduled between 3 and 6 p.m. or those classes already occurring when the closing announcement is made, the decision to cancel the class or release students early will be made by the appropriate Dean in consultation with the Vice President of TLSD as necessary. If the weather is predicted to be too severe, these classes will be canceled, and students and instructors will be sent home.
7. Communicating the Decision to Students, Staff, and the Public: During an emergency closing, messages regarding personal safety, such as shelter-in-place or lockdown, will take priority over closing messages, to provide clear direction to people on campus who are most directly affected by the emergency.
   1. The Chief Marketing, Communications, and Government Relations Officer will work with the President, Vice President of Business and Finance, Vice President of TLSD or the Administrator in Charge (designee), and the Sr. Director of Emergency Management to draft a message regarding the school closure.
   2. The closing/emergency message will be communicated to students, staff and the public using the following methods as determined by the type of closing and scope of the emergency:
      1. RAVE, the Mass Emergency notification texting system, which will also publish to ECCTV, desktop, email, telephone, and elgin.edu)
      2. Social Media channels (Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram primarily)
      3. Gateway signs
      4. Switchboard
      5. Emergency Closing Center (emergencyclosingcenter.com)
   3. ECC employees who are the direct contact or responsible party for an outside agency on campus are expected to notify those agencies directly when there is a closing on campus. (ex: in-residence ensembles, Youth Leadership Academy). The communication may include emailing and calling the organization, emailing the attendee list, and canceling the event on the campus calendar. Public notification will be released first through RAVE, the mass emergency notification system. The college website and social media channels (are the second sources of information. All other methods will be initiated immediately following, at the discretion of the Chief, Marketing, Communication and Government Relations Officer. Refer to applicable Standard Operating Guidelines for specific details about messaging.