Starting Oct. 18, Santa Rosa Junior College will require all students taking in-person classes to obtain virtual CLEARED4 access passes confirming their coronavirus vaccination or negative test status for this semester, SRJC Student Services Vice President Pedro Avila announced in an email Oct. 4.
This article will guide you through the new COVID-19 safeguards coming to SRJC.
What is CLEARED4, and what is an access pass?
CLEARED4 is a cloud-based health verification platform that SRJC says will make students’ return to campus safer. The company tracks and maintains data on vaccination verification and its platform is used by Netflix, Madison Square Garden and T-Mobile.
The CLEARED4 system has already been implemented at a number of other community colleges in California and nationwide, including Riverside Community College District, whose decision to adopt CLEARED4 inspired SRJC to do the same, Avila said.
CLEARED4’s access passes will allow students to attend in-person classes, appointments and study sessions during the vaccine mandate. To receive an access pass, students must be two weeks from their second dose of the coronavirus vaccine or have a negative test taken within the last week at SRJC.
Students can get their access passes until Oct. 15 and won’t need an access pass to go on campus until Oct. 18.
Students who don’t sign up for an access pass or schedule a test will be notified, along with their supervisors or instructors, that they are not allowed on campus.
How do I get an access pass?
If you’re currently enrolled in on-campus classes, you should receive a text and an email from the CLEARED4 system with a personal link only you can access. At the link, you’ll fill out some personal information, do a short health screening questionnaire and then upload your vaccination record or schedule a test.
Vaccination verification takes two-to-three business days. If you have a digital vaccination card with QR code, the verification process will be faster.
SRJC will provide free COVID testing starting Oct. 11. If you have a medical insurance card, you’ll need it for your first appointment only; if you don’t have insurance, you can still get tested for free every time.
Starting Jan. 1, 2022, students will no longer be allowed to test weekly. Students without proof of full vaccination will be dropped from their in-person classes at the start of Spring semester.
Making or buying fake vaccination cards is punishable under Title 18 United States Code, Section 1017 and a violation of SRJC student conduct code policy 8.2.8 which could endanger your status as a student.
Issues with the CLEARED4 platform can be dealt with by contacting [email protected].
How will coming on campus change on Oct. 18?
Since the start of the semester, students have checked-in to campus either by talking to SRJC’s trained safety monitors or using the MySRJCApp to scan QR codes posted outside of classrooms.
Starting Oct. 18, every day you have in-person classes, you will fill out a one-question survey before arriving on campus. If you don’t have any COVID symptoms, you will receive an access pass.
When you arrive on campus, you’ll show your access pass to a safety monitor. If you’re vaccinated, your access pass will be blue; if you’ve opted for weekly testing, your access pass will be green.
The safety monitor will then give you a wristband with a specific color for that specific day. Everyone with an access pass will receive the same color wristband ensuring your vaccination-or-testing choice isn’t discernible from your wristband.
Students who initially opted for testing can switch any time by getting vaccinated and uploading vaccination info.
SRJC still requires indoor masking and asks that students continue to check in with the MySRJCApp to help with required contact tracing.
What if I have coronavirus symptoms?
If you have any symptoms listed by the one-question survey, you will not receive a pass and you will be required to stay home for 10 days.
If you provide a rapid test with a negative result before the 10 days are up, you are released from the 10-day quarantine required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and can come back to campus.
The SRJC COVID Response Team will report positive tests to the county.
How do I apply for an exemption?
Medical and religious exemption requests can be sent to [email protected] or faxed to 707-524-1505 to be considered by a team of medical professionals, according to Avila. SRJC will only consider exemptions that comply with the law.
Exemptions are subject to change in the future based on SRJC requirements. In the event of outbreaks or close exposures, students with exemptions “may be temporarily excluded or reassigned from [SRJC] facilities and activities,” according to the exemption request forms.
Exemptions will be revoked by SRJC and students will be disciplined if any false information is provided in exemption requests.
I have questions unanswered by this article; who should I talk to?
Any other questions should be directed to SRJC’s COVID-19 Helpline at 707-524-1500.
Additional reporting by Michael Combs and Nick Vides.
