Safety and Security
The College provides a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors. A person who is not a student, officer, or employee of the College; who is not authorized by employment or by status as a student of the College to be on campus or at any other facility owned, operated, or controlled by the governing board of the College; who does not have legitimate business on the campus or facility, or any other authorization, license, or invitation to enter or remain at the facility; or anyone who is committing any act tending to interfere with the normal, orderly, peaceful, or efficient conduct or activities of such facility may be directed by an official of the College to leave the campus or facility. If the person fails to do so, trespass charges may be made by the College through the appropriate local law enforcement agency or court.
The College has established a Crisis Management Plan to guide in emergency situations. All personnel should be familiar with this plan and should have the document available for quick reference. Employees can obtain a copy of the plan by contacting the Office of the President or by accessing it on the Publications page of the website. Additionally, the college publishes an Annual Security Report, available on the Campus Police webpage, which outlines timely warning procedures in cases of Clery Act-related warnings.
Visitors to Campus Requesting to See a Student
Upon arriving on campus, a visitor wishing to see a student is required to go directly to the Office of the Campus Police in the Student Center to get a visitor’s pass. The campus officer will ask the visitor to wait in the campus police office. Unless it is an emergency, the officer will wait until the student’s class has ended, then ask the instructor to step into the hall with the student, where the officer will ask the student if he or she agrees to see the visitor. If the student refuses to see the visitor and/or feels endangered, the police officer will take appropriate steps to ensure that the visitor leaves campus.
Student Health Emergency Situations
In an emergency situation requiring first aid, instructors are urged to offer assistance to the best of their ability. However, primary concern should be to get medically authorized personnel to the individual as quickly as possible. This may be accomplished by calling 9-1-1 (dialing out on the Rainsville line will contact the closer ambulance service). Alternately, you can contact campus police at 256-609-1060.
Firearms on Campus
Firearms are prohibited in any building operated by the institution. Exceptions to this policy are Law Enforcement officers legally authorized to carry such weapons who are officially enrolled in classes or are acting in the performance of their duties or an instructional program in which firearms are required equipment (Board Policy 511.01, 12/14/22).
Violence Threat Response
It is the intent of the ACCS Board of Trustees and Northeast Alabama Community College to provide a safe workplace and a safe educational environment, free of acts or threatened acts of violence, including hostile behavior, physical or verbal abuse, or possession of weapons or dangerous materials of any kind on System or college property or while conducting System or college business against employees, contractors, students, visitors, or anyone else. This policy provides a planned and immediate response to such incidents. Violence or threats of violence will not be tolerated.
Third Party Influences: Contractors, students, and/or visitors purposefully threatening the safety of others on college premises may be subject to immediate removal from the premises and/or prosecution under the law. Students may also be subject to disciplinary procedures under the institution’s student discipline code.
Employees. To ensure both safe and efficient operations, the ACCS Board of Trustees expects and requires all System employees to display common courtesy and to engage in safe and appropriate behavior on the job at all times. Any involvement in acts or threatened acts of violence, including hostile behavior, physical or verbal abuse, or possession of weapons or dangerous materials of any kind is considered unacceptable behavior that violates this standard of appropriate behavior in the workplace and in the educational environment. Employees are responsible for their conduct on System premises, whether they are on or off duty. ACCS and institutional rules of conduct and behavior expectations also apply when employees are traveling on System business as well as any time employees are working for or are representing the Alabama Community College System away from the premises.
NACC will promptly investigate any physical or verbal altercation, threats of violence, or other conduct by employees that threatens the health or safety of other employees, students, or the public or otherwise might involve a breach of or departure from the conduct standards in this policy. A search of property may be conducted, under appropriate circumstances. All incidents of physical altercations or threats of violence are treated as gross misconduct and will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment for employees and disciplinary action up to and including expulsion for students.
Retaliation in any form against an individual who exercises his or her right to make a complaint under this policy, or who provides information in the investigation of a complaint, is strictly prohibited and will result in appropriate disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment for employees and appropriate disciplinary action up to and including expulsion for students (Board Policy 219.01, 12/14/16).
Hazardous Substances and Bloodborne Pathogen Awareness
Personnel should recognize that blood and other body fluids are potentially infectious. Both the nursing and the emergency medical services programs maintain policies for awareness and prevention of infection among faculty and students in these programs. Students in emergency medical services and nursing are instructed according to written policies in safe response to biological hazards, considering that exposure to such hazards can be reasonably anticipated in the normal course of clinical activities. Instructors and students are expected to follow and enforce all procedures defined by their department.
Communication and implementation of these policies are handled by the respective program directors, and the written policies are available on request.
The Natural Sciences Division prohibits the use of human blood in any laboratory activity. A self-inspection checklist is utilized annually in this department to assure safe lab practices.
All instructors should take every reasonable precaution to protect students from exposure to potentially infectious substances. Cleanup of hazardous spills should be handled by trained maintenance personnel. Procedures for responding to chemical spills or leaks are published in the NACC Crisis Management Plan.