The board also updated the language of previous “Communicable Disease” policies to reflect the pandemic.

SAN MARCOS — The Governing Board of the Palomar Community College District (PCCD) voted on Tuesday, July 6, 2021 to adopt a new “COVID-19 Vaccination and Immunization Plan” requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated against the virus to be on campus.

The board also approved new Communicable Disease policies for students, which gives the District the ability to create a student Vaccination and Immunization Plan governing the physical presence of students on campus for “face-to-face instructional and ancillary activities.”

The employee vaccination plan takes effect once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a COVID-19 vaccine, all of which are being administered under an Emergency Use Authorization. Upon FDA approval, employees and students will have six weeks to either prove they have been vaccinated or receive a medical or religious exemption from the PCCD’s Human Resources Department and Student Services division, respectively.

“The Palomar Community College District is committed to providing a safe and healthy campus,” the plan reads. “In furtherance of this commitment, this plan intends to mitigate the risks surrounding exposure to COVID-19 by requiring that all employees and students who are on District premises have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.”

According to the plan, “fully vaccinated” is defined as providing documentation showing that the employee has received either the second dose in a two-dose vaccine series or a single-dose vaccine. PCCD will also require subsequent booster shots if they are recommended by the appropriate government agency, such as the FDA or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The District may grant exemptions on the basis of “a sincerely held religious belief,” demonstrated in writing, or documentation from a health care provider recommending an exemption on the basis of a “qualifying disability.”