Original Date: 11/14/1994 * Last Revision Effective: temporary approval 9/24/2024, expires 3/24/2025
Policy Contact: Vice President, Administrative Services
Purpose
Emergency conditions, which may include, but are not limited to severe weather, credible threats to the safety of the campus, public health crises or damage resulting from fire or other disasters may require the college to suspend operations. The president or their designee is responsible for suspending operations, cancelling classes and/or closing some or all college offices, based on the emergency condition.
Procedures
Notifications
In the event of a suspension of operations, the vice president of administrative services, in consultation with the president and appropriate members of the president’s cabinet, will make a decision regarding on campus and online classes, services, and activities as early as possible. If emergency conditions develop, efforts will be made to notify all faculty, staff, and students present at that time. Notifications (e.g., email, text messaging, campus alert system and website) will be managed by the vice president of administrative services or their designee and will be coordinated in collaboration with the Public Information Officer and the Public Safety Office. Notifications will be sent as soon as possible. The vice president of administrative services or designee will also notify senior administrative staff as soon as possible to provide them the opportunity to implement other notification procedures to communicate campus status to their teams with more specific instructions beyond the campus wide notifications.
The college will use a variety of communication modalities to notify the campus and local community. They include, but are not limited to:
- Leaving a recorded message on the campus emergency hotline at (425) 401-6680.
- Updating the Bellevue College website, bellevuecollege.edu
- Updating the https://www.flashalert.net/regions/seattle-western-washington/ web site
- Providing media notices
- Updating social media
- Using the campus emergency notification system (BC Alerts)
- All campus email
- Providing notification to local radio and TV stations.
Classified and Exempt Employees Who Perform Essential Services
A number of college units provide essential services that continue to operate when other operations are suspended. Classified and exempt employees in positions designated as performing an essential service are required to report to work during periods of suspended operations, unless otherwise notified by their supervisor. Units that perform essential services include, but are not limited to: Public Safety, Campus Operations, and Housing. At least annually, supervisors are expected to evaluate the operations under their control and identify those functions and/or positions that perform essential services. Each supervisor will ensure that employees in positions designated as performing an essential service are notified of their status. The vice president for human resources or designee is responsible for providing information to any labor organizations that represent employees in positions designated as performing an essential service.
Time Reporting
In situations where the college declares suspended operations, the college will follow procedures outlined in collective bargaining agreements. Payroll will send notification to employees about how to report time following any suspended operations announcement.
Revision History
Original 11/14/1994
Revisions 12/1/2001; 3/22/2005; 5/21/2009; 9/17/2012; 5/13/2015; temporary approval 9/24/2024, expires 3/24/2025
Approved By
President’s Cabinet
Last Updated October 9, 2024