COVID-19 General Information

The Salish Kootenai College Administration, Faculty, and staff have prepared a detailed plan to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment. Many functions of the college will be different, but the heart of SKC remains strong. The question that must be answered for every decision we make is “what is best for our students, staff, and faculty”.

With that question in mind, we have prepared this document to better prepare students, faculty, staff, and the community. We urge you to read it carefully. If you have additional questions, comments, or recommendations, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Let’s help each other stay safe and healthy.

Symptoms of COVID-19 and self-monitoring

Students, faculty, and staff need to know the symptoms of COVID-19 to help reduce the risk of the virus spreading this fall. We urge all members of the SKC community to be familiar with the symptoms described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and to self-monitor on a daily basis. Review the CDC’s description of COVID-19 symptoms.

Students, faculty, and staff who have symptoms are to:

Immediately contact their health care provider.
Students are to stay home from classes. Students are to contact their faculty to arrange accommodation for missed classes.
Faculty and staff are to immediately notify their supervisor and stay home from work.
In addition, SKC strongly encourages every member of our campus community to assess themselves for symptoms and to personally check their temperature every day before coming to campus. Individuals should not come to work and should contact their health care provider if they have a fever or elevated temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher.
include temp. check/health survey protocols for BEC's, supervisors, and faculty.

Cloth face masks and face coverings

Cloth face masks are one of the tools the campus community can use to help slow the spread of the virus. Since people can carry and spread the virus without having symptoms, or with very mild symptoms, wearing a cloth face mask helps protect those around you, and the community at large, by reducing the risk of virus spread. While a cloth face mask may not protect the wearer, it may keep the wearing from spreading the virus to others, according to the CDC as droplets from sneezes, coughs and even talking can spread the virus as much as 6 feet.

Cloth face masks and face coverings will be required in all campus spaces with few exceptions. Face masks are not required if you are in your personal car, alone in your regularly assigned office in your dorm room or family housing unit.

Faculty and instructors will be provided their preference of face shields to wear in the classroom. Face shields may be useful for instructional faculty because students can more easily read lips and observe facial expressions. All faculty and staff will be provided one (1) cloth face mask.

Social distancing of 6 feet

All areas of the campus will practice CDC guidance on maintaining 6 feet of distance between individuals. This is an important tool in reducing the spread of COVID-19.

Hand washing

Another critical tool in reducing the spread of the virus is frequent handwashing. Students, faculty, and staff are strongly encouraged to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer extensively. Hand sanitizing stations have been placed in multiple locations in every building.

SKC Response Team

Emergency Operations Team
Sandra Boham
Audrey Plouffe
Dan Durglo
Antony Berthelote
Al Anderson