Emergency Closing Information

Overview

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