Today I wanted to provide an update to 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, March 16.

This means that FAU’s Karen Slattery Educational Research Center for Child Development on the Boca Raton campus will be closed, and our A.D. Henderson University School, also on the Boca campus, will move to online delivery only, for the period March 16-30. The second week of this period coincides with Henderson’s Spring Break.

Henderson teachers will be in contact with students and parents/guardians to provide details about virtual instruction. Classes for FAU High School students are included in the university’s remote instruction plan.

It is very important that faculty and staff with dependents, and all supervisors, review FAU’s Children in the Workplace policy (Policy 4.1.3). 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, March 16, all FAU students will take classes via remote instruction for an initial two weeks. Students should pay close attention to messages from faculty and staff regarding classes. 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. 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.