W. Va. Code § 18B-1-6
W. Va. Code § 12-3-13
The purpose of this policy is to set forth protocols for campus closures and related occurrences at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (“WVSOM”) due to adverse weather conditions and other emergencies.
Campus closures are declared when all operations conducted on WVSOM’s Lewisburg Main Campus are suspended, either for an entire day or for a specific period of time, due to adverse weather conditions or n other emergency. WVSOM Statewide Campus sites will be shut down independently of a Lewisburg Main Campus emergency closure.
Information regarding student coursework missed during a campus closure may be found in WVSOM Institutional Policy E-07: Cancelled Class Policy.
All decisions on campus closures will be authorized and communicated by the President or his/her designee.
The Governor of West Virginia has the authority to close any State building. WVSOM will comply with any directive from the Governor’s Office concerning campus closures. A State of Emergency as declared by the Governor does not automatically apply to WVSOM.
Official notification of campus closures will be distributed through the WVSOM Emergency Notification System via a combination of communication methods, including text and email. All WVSOM students and employees are automatically registered to receive alerts through the WVSOM Emergency Notification System. Notification may be posted on the WVSOM website home page at www.wvsom.edu and communicated by local media outlets, but the official announcement will be those messages that are shared directly by the institution.
A color-coded system will be used to communicate any operating status announcements regarding campus closures.
All classes, services, and activities will be operating as normal.
Buildings will open and close on their regular schedule.
For delayed openings, buildings will be closed and all operations will be suspended during the time specified in the notification. Employees and students may enter buildings beginning thirty (30) minutes prior to the end of the specified delay. Access to buildings prior to that time is restricted to essential employees who are required to work during Code Yellow emergencies.
For early closures, buildings will close and all operations will be suspended during the time specified in the notification. Employees and students must leave campus within thirty (30) minutes after the specified time for early closures. Access to buildings after that time is restricted to essential employees who are required to work during Code Yellow emergencies.
Buildings and operations will be conducted remotely. Classes and services will occur online.
Access to buildings is restricted to essential employees who are required to work during Code Purple emergencies.
WVSOM Lewisburg Main Campus is closed for the day. All classes, events, and services are cancelled.
Access to buildings is restricted to essential employees who are required to work during Code Red emergencies.
In most cases, campus closure notification will be announced the evening prior to a closure, but in all cases no later than 6:00 a.m. on the day of closure.
When extended power and utility service interruptions occur or work facilities are not available for other reasons, employees working in the affected area may be asked to perform their duties in alternate work locations, including remote work. In the alternative and with specific supervisor approval, time off may be granted and charged against an employee’s accumulated annual leave, compensatory time, or floating holiday hours. Time lost from work may also be made up in the same work week at the discretion of the employee's supervisor. Employees who have no accumulated leave must be removed from the payroll for the applicable time period. Sick leave may not be charged for absence due to utility service or facilities disruption.
If an employee is working remotely and the employee’s electric or internet service is interrupted during the workday, the employee may work on an alternative assignment, move to an alternative work location, or utilize leave as outlined in Section 6.1 above.
In all cases, interruptions of work schedules must be handled in accordance with WVSOM policies, procedures and handbooks, and applicable laws, including West Virginia Code § 12-3-13.
In the event of adverse weather, individual employees may in their best judgment determine the risk of travel to campus to be too great and elect to remain at home or leave campus early. Those who do so must contact their respective supervisors and request approval to work remotely or take leave in accordance with WVSOM Institutional Policy PE-03: Institutional Holidays and Employee Leave.
In the event of an emergency, the President, in conjunction with local or state public safety officials, has the authority to address the emergency situation and close WVSOM. The President, working with public safety officials, will determine when the emergency condition no longer exists.
All full-time regular employees are eligible for regular pay for work time lost due to a campus closure. Work time lost will be considered regular work time for pay purposes and will not require time charged to accrued leave and will not require that the hours be made up.
During a campus closure, employees designated as essential may be required to remain on campus or to report to campus to protect, recover and continue operations at WVSOM. All employees required to work during a campus closure shall be compensated in accordance with WVSOM Institutional Policy PE-03: Institutional Holidays and Employee Leave. If approved, the employee may be permitted to work at an alternate primary work location or work remotely.
Delayed openings and early closures are forms of campus closures. Therefore, employees are not expected to work remotely during these time periods.
Telework employees are designated as essential. During a campus closure, telework employees are required to work at their alternate location. They may be required to report to work on-campus to protect, recover and continue operations at WVSOM.
Telework employees who experience utility disruptions at their alternate work location during the work day must change locations or utilize leave as outlined in Section 6.1 above. Sick leave may not be charged for absence due to utility service interruption.