Fullerton College Vaccination Mandate Information

Posted on August 27, 2021

Fullerton College is committed to creating a safe environment and will join colleges throughout the state and country to require COVID-19 vaccinations. The due date for students taking on-campus classes and all employees to be fully vaccinated is November 1.

On August 24, the North Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees voted to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for all employees, and for students enrolled in on-campus classes with allowances for religious or medical exemptions as defined by law. Those who are not vaccinated will be provided free weekly COVID-19 tests.

All employees and students accessing district and college facilities (including in-person classes, student support services, or any other indoor on-campus activity) will need to provide evidence of full vaccination status by November 1. Consistent with applicable law, exemptions will be granted by NOCCCD Human Resources for eligible documented medical conditions as well as religious beliefs. The district will continue to require that everyone wear face coverings indoor regardless of vaccination status following recommendations from the Orange County Health Care Agency.

The policy requires that all employees, as well as students who access in-person classes or programs, be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by November 1. Instituting the November deadline allows time for unvaccinated employees and students to complete a two-dose vaccine regimen. The mandate recommends immediate implementation with the Pfizer-BioNTech (which has been fully FDA approved), Moderna, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccines.

“The district prioritizes the health and safety of its employees, students and the community,” said Board of Trustees President Barbara Dunsheath. “The Delta variant is proving to be highly contagious and vaccines are still the best way to keep our communities safe. The Board encourages all employees and students to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Locally and statewide, institutions of higher learning have implemented coronavirus vaccine mandates. The California Community Colleges has strongly recommended a vaccine mandate to help safeguard student/employee health and safety, and Governor Gavin Newsom’s office has ordered COVID-19 vaccination for all state employees.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Delta variant “causes more infections and spreads faster than earlier forms of the virus that causes COVID-19. It might cause more severe illness than previous strains in unvaccinated people.” The CDC continues to emphasize vaccines offer strong protection against serious illness or death.

Fullerton College and NOCCCD will share more information, including the method that will be used to gather and track vaccination status, details about testing procedures, and the processes to request medical or religious accommodations, very soon. The NOCCCD COVID-19 webpage will be updated with new information as details emerge. Fullerton College shares information regarding COVID-19 on the Return to the Hive website.

More details will be forthcoming soon regarding:

  • The deadline and process to collect vaccination information
  • The deadline and process to collect exemptions
  • Instructions on mandatory testing for those who request an exemption

More Resources

(Updated Aug. 30, 2021, with NOCCCD press release information)

(Updated Sept. 2, 2021, with second student letter)