Fall 2022 Covid-19 Update
Dear CUNY Law community,
As we welcome 1L students to Orientation this week and look forward to welcoming returning students on August 22, we know that many members of the community are eager to be back in the law school building and that some have questions about how the law school is operating given the ongoing risks associated with Covid-19.
As with previous semesters, almost all of the policies and practices reflect the guidance and parameters shared by CUNY Central, as well as standards set by the ABA and by the New York State court system. The Dean’s Office shares them here via email, and they will be available on the law school website (law.cuny.edu/virtual) as well as shared on Twitter @CUNYLaw. These are the spaces where you will receive updates throughout the year.
We’ve broken the guidance into sections, and have started a list of frequently asked questions and their responses at the end of this document. As members of the community ask more questions, we will update this document.
Welcome and welcome back!
Dean Setty
Vaccination
Student Vaccination Mandate Requirements
CUNY mandates that all students taking in-person and hybrid classes have up-to-date COVID-19 vaccinations and upload proof of up-to-date vaccination in CUNYfirst (Student Guide to Vaccination Verification). Booster shots are not required, but are strongly encouraged once someone is eligible. Eligibility for booster shots can be found here.
All students registering for a fully-in-person or hybrid class for the 2022 Fall term must upload proof of vaccination to CUNYfirst by ten (10) days before classes begin. Students who do not provide proof of vaccination before classes begin will be de-registered prior to the first scheduled day of classes.
- To ensure that your proof of vaccination is reviewed and approved in time, upload your documentation to CUNYfirst as soon as you are fully vaccinated. The only exception to this rule is for the few students who apply for and are granted medical exemptions or religious exceptions.
- All students (except those with approved exemptions or exceptions) must have up-to-date vaccination records in CUNYfirst in order to enter any CUNY facility for any reason.
- If your vaccination documents are already approved in CUNYfirst, you do not need to resubmit them, but please make sure they are up to date.
- Requests for medical and religious exemptions are made via the Vaccination Verification portal in CUNYfirst. All questions regarding medical exemptions can be directed to the Location Vaccine Authority (LVA) liaison at studentvax@law.cuny.edu. All questions regarding religious exceptions can be directed to studentreligiousexemption@cuny.edu.
- A user guide on how to upload proof of vaccination can be found here. Questions about vaccination verification and exemptions can be directed to studentvax@law.cuny.edu.
Additional information can be found at #CantStopCUNY Student Vaccination Mandate FAQ.
Faculty and Staff Vaccination Mandate Requirements
All full and part-time faculty and all non-teaching instructional staff (which includes among others, NTAs, CLTs, CAs, and those in the HEO series), and personnel in the Executive Compensation Plan must be fully vaccinated in order to remain employed by the University, unless granted a religious exception, medical exemption, or reasonable accommodation. Employees granted a religious exception, medical exemption, or a reasonable accommodation participate weekly in the CUNY-19 Testing Program. Additional information can be found at #CantStopCUNY Faculty & Student Vaccination FAQ.
Please refer to the Office of Human Resources webpage regarding Flexible Work Guidelines and Procedures for Requesting Reasonable Accommodations.
To find a vaccination site in New York City, use the City’s Vaccine Finder. To find a vaccination site in New York State, use the CDC’s Find COVID-19 Vaccines search engine.
Testing
All students are expected to test before returning to campus.
PCR tests are available to all CUNY students and employees at no cost. There are 19 COVID-19 testing sites at locations across CUNY. Any CUNY student or employee who needs to be tested for any reason may walk into a site, provide their CUNY ID (EMPLID) or RF ID, and get tested. Results are made available through your Cleared4 account within 24 to 48 hours.
You can check the latest numbers in our COVID-19 Safety Tracker available here.
Random testing
CUNY’s random testing program for vaccinated students and employees is part of CUNY’s multi-pronged strategy to monitor and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The program complements the mandatory weekly testing for students and employees with accommodations, medical exemptions or religious exceptions.
Each week, 20% of randomly selected, vaccinated individuals from across each campus are contacted to be tested for COVID-19. If you are selected for random testing, you will receive an email from no-reply@cleared4work.com. The email provides information about the random testing program and the date by which you are required to comply with testing. For a general FAQ on the testing program, visit here.
Please note that participation in the random testing program is mandatory. Failure to participate will result in removal of a person’s Cleared4 access pass, which is necessary to enter the law school and other CUNY locations.
Questions about testing?
If you are a student and have questions about the random testing program, campus access, or your Cleared4 account, please contact studentvax@law.cuny.edu.
If you are an employee, please email coronavirus.coordinator@law.cuny.edu.
If you are unvaccinated because you have an exemption, and are, therefore, part of the mandatory weekly testing program, please contact coronavirus.coordinator@law.cuny.edu with any questions you may have.
Non-CUNY Testing Resources
NYC Health + Hospitals has also made testing available for free on a walk-in only basis and you can find additional New York City COVID-19 Testing sites here.
For information about other COVID-19 resources available across New York City, please click here.
Masking Recommendation
At this time, CUNY does not have a mask mandate.
However, the Law School strongly recommends our students, faculty, and staff to wear a mask in crowded and public spaces to prevent the spread of COVID-19. People who are not vaccinated, or over 65 and those at high risk of severe illness should also wear a mask in crowded outdoor spaces. Masks are available for our community, and you can request one at the front desk.
Teaching and Learning
Almost all of the law school’s courses for Fall 2022 are slated to be in-person at the law school. Under ABA standards, teachers have the flexibility to move up to 1/3 of the course meeting time over the course of the semester to a distance learning format (e.g., Zoom) and still have the course count as an “in-person” class.
General Health and Safety Guidance
For the health and safety of our entire community, we highly recommend getting regular and recurring testing. If you are sick, stay home. If you do not feel better in three days, please consult your health care provider.
You can test regularly through CUNY’s COVID-19 Testing Program. Students, faculty and staff may take a COVID test at no cost at any one of CUNY’s COVID-19 Testing Sites.
CUNY will continue to require that individuals comply with CDC Guidelines for Isolation and Quarantine.
In compliance with the CUNY Visitor’s Policy, every visitor to a CUNY campus, whether accessing indoor or outdoor spaces, must provide proof to CUNY that they (i) are fully vaccinated or (ii) have had a negative COVID-19 molecular (PCR) test performed by an accredited lab no more than seven days prior to the visit.
We will continue to aid in the identification of exposures, and notify close contacts, as appropriate, of exposure as soon as possible after being notified that someone in the law school community has tested positive or been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Travel
Students, faculty, and staff should follow the CDC domestic travel recommendations and international travel recommendations before reporting back to work or campus. They will also need to notify their manager in advance of the travel dates and should quarantine be required.
Any students, faculty, or staff engaging in official travel on behalf of CUNY must follow the latest approval requirements for domestic and international travel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a professor ask a student to put a mask on in the classroom or another group meeting?
No; this is not allowed under CUNY Central’s policy. CUNY Central may change this policy depending on various factors that it considers, but neither the law school as an institution nor individual professors may change this policy.
In an informal setting outside of a class or group meeting, can one student ask another student to put a mask on?
Yes; students are able to engage in respectful discourse around mask preferences.
Why is the law school insisting on in-person teaching and learning in Fall 2022? This is different than the last few semesters.
Yes, this is different than recent semesters, and we acknowledge that this shift may be a difficult one for many members of the law school community. There are many arguments in favor of in-person learning and online learning, and reasonable people may disagree on what type of learning is best given pedagogical aims and risk factors. However, the decision that the law school return to almost all in-person teaching and learning this semester is guided by the fact that the New York state court system ended its waiver of the cap on distance learning in May 2022.
We have confirmed with the New York Board of Law Examiners that what this means is that the pre-pandemic distance learning limits are now in effect in New York. As of summer 2022, a student may earn up to 15 credits through distance learning and still be eligible to sit for the New York bar exam and, upon passing, be eligible to be licensed in New York. Breaking this rule means a student risks being ineligible to be licensed in New York.
We, like all other law schools in New York state, have, therefore, committed to in-person teaching and learning in order to ensure that our students maintain their eligibility to become licensed attorneys who are able to serve the people of New York.
I have sought a remote learning arrangement in past semesters because I feel uncomfortable in the law school building and/or in class with people around me not wearing masks. What should I do?
In Fall 2022, a very limited number of courses are remote. If you had a remote arrangement in past semesters due to feelings of discomfort around those not wearing masks in the law school building, this does not mean that a remote arrangement is possible in Fall 2022.
This is particularly important given the strict New York State limits on distance learning for J.D. students planning to sit for the New York bar exam.
The only consideration for a remote learning arrangement is if your medical documentation from a licensed health provider specifically states that an arrangement of this nature is a medical necessity (see below).
I have sought a remote learning arrangement in past semesters because I have a documented medical accommodation for remote learning. What should I do?
The law school is committed to ensuring that students with disabilities have equal access to educational programming, consistent with protecting the health and safety of the student and others at the law school. If you have medical documentation from a licensed health provider that specifically states that a remote learning arrangement is medically necessary, please speak to Dean Wilson-Barnes at yvette.wilson-barnes@law.cuny.edu about how to manage your courses in Fall 2022.
I would like to consider taking a leave of absence because of my personal circumstances. What should I do?
Please review the law school’s leave of absence policy and follow the guidance described there.
Does the Law School plan to have more remote or hybrid options for courses in Spring 2023?
Yes. Faculty and administrators will work together in the fall to consider which classes in Spring 2023 can be offered remotely and how to best support students to plan their coursework while complying with New York state and ABA standards.