Today’s update covers two very important areas: School district closings, and new travel and self-quarantine protocols.

This afternoon, the Commissioner of Education for the State of Florida directed that all public schools close for an initial two-week period beginning Monday.

Consistent with this decision, our Karen Slattery Educational Research Center for Child Development will be closed, and our A.D. Henderson University School, both located on our Boca Raton campus, will move to online delivery only, for the period March 16 – 30. The second week of this period coincides with Spring Break at Henderson.

At Henderson, each grade level has a digital plan. Teachers will be in contact with students and parents/guardians to provide details about virtual instruction, which will include lessons, assignments and support. Classes for our students enrolled in FAU High School are included in the university’s remote instruction plan.

It is very important that all supervisors and those of you with dependents review FAU’s Children in the Workplace policy (Policy 4.1.3).

As the policy, in part, states, “supervisors and managers should be flexible in granting accrued leave to employees who need to make emergency child care arrangements.” The announcement that school will be closed next week could create an emergency need for some employees to make child care arrangements.

You can access the complete policy online here. As it discusses, our work areas simply are not designed to provide appropriate accommodations for children. For these reasons, and for the similar public health reasons that prompted the State University System of Florida Board of Governors to require all state universities temporarily revert to remote instruction, the university must enforce this policy.

In an update to the university’s travel protocols, all individuals — which includes all students, faculty and staff — who return to the U.S. from any country or return from a cruise must self-quarantine for 14 days. This means if you returned from an overseas trip, for example, 10 days ago, you should now self-quarantine for four days. If you return after today, you must self-quarantine for the full 14 days.

This directive applies to personal overseas travel, such as vacations, as well as any university-related travel. However, it does not apply to U.S. territories.

Please bear in mind, self-quarantine should include working remotely as much as possible. If these self-quarantine restrictions apply to you, please work with your supervisor to arrange remote working.

These travel protocols will remain in place until further notice.

As a reminder, beginning Monday for an initial two weeks, all FAU students will take classes via remote instruction. If you are a student, please pay close attention to messages from faculty and staff regarding your classes.

Also, we have requested students not return to campus from spring break during the period of remote instruction. Residential students at home for spring break are encouraged to remain off campus, if possible. However, students who need to remain on or return to campus should contact the Housing and Residential Education office at 561-297-2880 or housing@fau.edu.

If it feels like the situation regarding the COVID-19 virus and how it affects university operations is in constant change — it is. However, I will do my best to keep you informed with all the pertinent information. As of this update, the university will remain open, and all faculty and staff should report for work as normal on Monday.

Please remember to regularly check our dedicated COVID-19 website that contains a wide array of information and resources to help you stay informed. And, most important of all, if you are feeling unwell, and especially if you are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, please seek medical attention as soon as you can.

I sincerely hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend and thank you for your on-going support and understanding.

John Kelly

President

Dr. M Jackson will explore the fascinating geography of glaciers on this planet. Based on over a decade of research in the Arctic, Dr. Jackson shares many localized stories of what happens to an Icelandic community as their local glaciers disappear. Profoundly hopeful, Jackson’s talk shows how ice influences people just as much as people influence ice–and what all of us can do to move into a future with healthy glaciers and healthy communities. Jackson is a geographer, glaciologist, TED Fellow, a National Geographic Society Explorer, and author of the 2019 book “The Secret Lives of Glaciers.”

This event takes place on Friday, January 24 at 6 p.m. in General Classroom North Room 102 on the Boca Raton campus. Visit the Eventbrite page for more details.

The lockable food container company, Lock It Plates, has eliminated more than 8,000 foam plates from FAU’s Dining Hall in one year. The founders came up with the idea while attending Florida Atlantic University and are now running their business out of FAU Tech Runway.

To learn more, visit the FAU Youtube page.