Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) voluntarily complies with the City of Rochester’s Declaration of Local Emergency Amendment that requires individuals wear a face covering in indoor areas. As such, any person in a public or common space within the buildings of the RCTC campus must wear a cloth or disposable face covering, even when they are not within six feet of others. Homemade face coverings are acceptable, and face shields are an acceptable form of face covering as long as they wrap around the sides of the wearer’s face and extend below the chin. Individuals should wear their own face coverings, but if they do not have one, disposable masks will be provided. This requirement will remain in effect until further notice. Academic programs may have additional requirements that supersede this standard.
Exemptions to this requirement are as follows:
- Individuals actively eating or drinking;
- Individuals unable to wear a face covering due to medical, disability or developmental reasons;*
- Individuals speaking to someone who is deaf or hard of hearing and requires the mouth to be visible to communicate;
- Individuals engaged in face-to-face conversations where a plexiglass shield or other barrier is separating them;
- Individuals working or learning alone in a private office or learning space;
- Individuals exercising or participating in athletic activities, but masks must be worn when not actively participating in the activity and social distancing can’t be maintained;
- Individuals speaking to a class or audience as long as they remain six feet or more away from other individuals in the instructional space. Face coverings must be worn when entering, exiting or moving around classrooms and labs, but may be removed while in a static classroom with 6’ social distancing during instruction unless otherwise mandated by the instructor(s)
*To request an exemption for medical, disability or developmental reasons, students should contact Disability Services and employees contact Human Resources to obtain permission from the College for the exemption.
All individuals are expected to have a face covering on their person at all times while in the RCTC buildings. If they do not have their own face covering, a disposable mask may be obtained at the Welcome One-Stop Center at the Main Campus or at the Dean of Career/Technical Education’s Office at the Heintz Center. Refusal to follow the face covering requirement will be considered a violation of Student Conduct for students. Visitors violating this requirement may be asked to leave the premises immediately.