Dear Word of Life Bible Institute Students and Parents,
The Word of Life Bible Institute is committed to the health and safety of all guests, campers, and students. We are also committed to doing all ministry endeavors in decent order and with best practices for all involved. As we all know there has been much attention given to the Coronavirus and we want to be wise in our decisions. However, we do not operate out of fear: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). We desire to respond to this situation with confidence in God, in love, and with sound decision making.
Over the last several days, Word of Life’s Crisis Management Team (CMT) has been monitoring government response to and recommendations concerning the Coronavirus (COVID-19) at the federal, state, and local levels. I want to provide you with the following updates and information:
COVID –19 Monitoring and Guidelines
- The Crisis Management Team is meeting daily to review daily monitoring reports and implement action plans for the overall safety of the organization.
- The New York and Florida Campuses are following all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Health guidelines. For your reference here is the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html
Delay of Classes
- Many NYS and FL Colleges and Universities have delayed or suspended classes for a period of time. Most agencies are recommending a 2-week break – the good news being that our students are on a two-week break right now. The Administrative Team has already met and prepared a plan to implement in the event of a delay. We do NOT have plans to delay, but we felt it best to have back-up plans in place since this is a rapidly changing situation. You will be the first to know if we receive any more information that would cause a delay. Plan on returning. We are ready to serve you.
Travel and Ministry Teams
- At this time, we have brought home all international traveling teams (Portugal and Quebec, Canada) and cancelled the UNSEEN-Ranch Posse Tour. We currently do not plan to change the schedule for current WAYUMI participants unless their situation changes.
- Upon returning to campus all ministry assignments will be reviewed and evaluated by our Crisis Management Team. Students’ health and safety is our priority.
- Missions Reality and the First Year Open Air Evangelism trip will be closely monitored. At this time, we have not cancelled either of these events. As we monitor the global scene we will communicate directly with you if changes to the trips are being made.
Cleaning and Property Preparedness
- Operational Teams have been highly engaged in cleaning the facilities to maintain the highest level of hygiene. Public Spaces are being deep cleaned according to our approved outbreak protocol. Any public spaces that are carpeted are being professionally cleaned. On March 19th, our entire staff will thoroughly clean all buildings.
Student Health Screening
- When students return from Spring Break, they will all be subject to a health screening immediately upon arrival back to campus. This will be held at the Jack Wyrtzen Center March 23, 10 am—10 pm for all NY students. Florida students, please check Canvas notifications for your campus-specific location and time.
- This screening will require them to answer several questions about their recent travel and medical history. Their vitals (i.e., their temperature, blood pressure, pulse, etc.) will also be taken. If there are no significant findings from the screening, the student will be released and allowed to return to campus.
- If any symptoms are detected, namely fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath, the student will be assessed further. Students who do not exhibit these symptoms may still be subject to further examination depending on their answers to the screening questions.
- If you have been experiencing signs/symptoms listed above, please contact the Health and Security Department prior to returning to campus as well as your healthcare provider. It is best to recover at home until sign or symptom free and the risk of secondary transmission to others is thought to be low.
- Any questions should be sent to safety@wol.org.
I want to assure you, we are taking every precaution to protect students, staff and guests. We do not take lightly the seriousness of this situation. We want to respond with reasonable action plans and exercise extreme caution.
As always, thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding. As more information becomes available, we will communicate with you directly. If you need further clarification, please contact my office at 518.494.1532
Roger L. Peace, Jr.
President
Word of Life Bible Institute
