Should the closure of any COTC campus be necessary due to weather
or other emergencies, text announcements will be sent via
the Campus Emergency Alert System. An announcement will also
be placed on the COTC homepage
and on the college emergency closing phone line
at 740.755.7193.
Campus Closure
When the closing of a physical campus is necessary due to
inclement weather or other emergencies:
- All in-person classes will be canceled.
- All classes and work being conducted remotely will continue
as scheduled.
- Students participating in practicums, internships, student
teaching or other experiential learning should follow their
participating organization’s closing procedures. If their
organization is open, they are expected to report even if the
campus is closed.
- Staff working on campus who are not considered essential with
the short-term closing policies should not report to campus.
Staff should carry out their responsibilities remotely where
possible.
- On-site essential staff will continue to report to
campus as usual during inclement weather.
COTC strives to remain open to ensure continuity of services to
its students and to the public. When campus is open, all
students, faculty and staff are expected to make a reasonable
effort to attend.
If a Level 3 Snow Emergency is declared in Licking, Knox or
Coshocton counties, COTC will close its campus in that location
and all in-person classes will be canceled.
If a Level 1 or 2 Snow Emergency is declared COTC will make every
effort to remain open.
Campus Closure – Delayed Opening
In some instances, COTC will delay the opening of a campus until
a specified time.
- If a campus opening is delayed, students are expected to
report to their respective classes where they would normally be
at the time campus reopens (e.g., if COTC delays opening
until 10 a.m., a student in an in-person class scheduled from
9-11 a.m. would be expected to report to class at 10
a.m.).
- Staff will report at the specified opening time.
- If campus opening is delayed, conditions will be reassessed
prior to reopening to determine if the campus can be reopened
safely, the delay will be extended or campus will be closed.
Individual Classes
Individual class cancellations are posted online under the Class
Cancellations tab at my.cotc.edu.
Conditions for Closing
The safety of students, faculty and staff is the college’s top
priority. If COTC has not issued an official closing or delay,
students are expected to exercise their judgment in determining
whether to attend classes. Students are accountable for any
material and assignments missed during an absence without an
official closure or delay. When COTC is open, vacation time will
be used by employees who choose to stay at home or are unable to
travel to their campus work location.
The decision to close campus or cancel classes in the event of
severe weather is made using guidelines that are, by design, very
flexible. There is no absolute temperature, snowfall amount or
other specific hazard that triggers a closure. Many groups
provide information and recommendations through the Department of
Public Safety to campus leadership. Campus officials also monitor
the latest forecasts from the National Weather Service. Some
factors taken into consideration in the decision to cancel
classes and/or close campus are:
- existence of Level 3 Snow Emergencies
- road conditions within the central Ohio region (specifically:
city of Newark and Licking, Knox and Coshocton counties)
- current weather conditions and the forecast for the next 1-12
hours in Newark, Coshocton, Mount Vernon and Pataskala
- status of the buildings, parking lots, roadways and sidewalks
on campus
- presence of extreme ice and/or snow
- excessive wind
- severe cold
