Prime Community Health & Wellness

As of March 15, 2024 Prime Academy is no longer operating under pandemic protocols. Please refer to the Sick Policy section of the Code of Conduct if you have questions about how illnesses (including Covid-19 should be handled for students, staff and other in-person campus visitors. Past pandemic protocol information are preserved below but are no longer active.

[FINAL UPDATE: 6/5/23]

Our team is closely monitoring pandemic developments, and are looking to the guidance provided by health professionals and government officials for both institutes of higher learning and businesses. We remain committed to doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our community while delivering positive outcomes for students in the program.

We began resuming campus operations in Minneapolis for cohorts beginning study on or after 9/27/2021. While current students will have access to our Minneapolis campus, to limit the possibility of transmission and reduce risk for students and staff we’ll be taking a number of precautions, namely:

  1. On-Campus Students and Staff Must Be Vaccinated and boosted (if eligible). We will be requiring that all students studying on campus have received vaccination against Covid 19 and it has been at least 14 days since their final shot. 
  2. Alumni and guest access to campus is currently limited. Campus is closed to guests without permission from Prime staff . Guests are required to be vaccinated, proof of vaccination may be required. Mentor meetings, guest speakers and Career Day will continue to be held remotely.
  3. Masks are not currently required for staff and students, however, Prime is a mask-friendly campus. Any staff or student may wear a mask at any time for any reason.

Alternatives to On-Campus Study

While we hope the precautions above will create a safe, healthy environment for our students and staff, we acknowledge that we can not completely eliminate the risk of Covid exposure. If you are concerned about on-campus study we have established part-time and full-time remote options for our Full Stack Software Engineering program and are evaluating the possibility of offering a remote offering for our User Experience Design program in the future. (Please contact Admissions if you’d like to be added to a waiting list for future remote UX offerings).

Verification of Vaccination Status

The vaccination card you were given at the time of your vaccine will be required. You will need to show proof of vaccination to us prior to Tier 2, when you begin in-person study. You will be asked to submit an image of your completed vaccination card along with your signed student contract or as part of your cohort onboarding process. If you have not gotten the vaccine and are able, you need to get it 14 days before in-person study to be eligible for study in a given cohort. If you do not have the vaccine and proof of vaccination at the time of in-person study, you will be removed from the cohort. If you are unable to receive the vaccine, please contact admissions to discuss your study options. 

Prime's vaccination policy recommends booster shots for all students. Students are advised to schedule their booster appointments at least two weeks prior to the start of their on-campus study to ensure full vaccine efficacy is reached by the deadline. Students must show proof of vaccination prior to accessing campus. If you are not eligible for a booster, you must provide written notice upon admission.

Campus Cleaning Protocol

Campus has been closed with limited access throughout the pandemic. Our building is being thoroughly and regularly cleaned to ensure we have a safe and clean space for you to study.

Campus Access Protocol

Prime’s campus COVID-19 precautions are being informed by the recommendations provided for fully vaccinated individuals by the CDC here. Note that some of these recommendations are impacted by the current level of community transmission, that information is available here based on the last week of reported data.

  Are you now or have you in the last 24 hours experienced any of the following symptoms:
I AM NOT I AM

  Have you been in close contact (more than 15 minutes within 6 feet without face coverings/PPE) to anyone who is known to be either experiencing symptoms listed above or who has an active case of Covid-19?

If you are experiencing symptoms of illness we ask that you do not come to campus. Instead, you should communicate with your instructor to formulate a plan based on your circumstances. Depending on the severity of your symptoms and your position within the curriculum, you may be able to view lectures remotely and keep up with study from home or we will work with you to create a plan for meeting program requirements. If you have tested positive for Covid-19 see the section below titled "Covid-19 Positive Student Protocol".

You may return to campus when you’ve met these conditions:

  1. Your symptoms, like cough or shortness of breath, have improved.
  2. It’s been at least 5 days since your symptoms started.
  3. You’ve had 24 hours with no fever without fever reducing medicine

You will be required to wear a high-quality mask when indoors at school per CDC guidelines.
I HAVE NOT I HAVE

Come to class!

If you have potentially been exposed to Covid-19 or other transmissible flu-like illness we ask that you get tested and that you wear a mask while your status is unknown. In most cases this will mean masking for at least 3 days and then testing negative for Covid-19 or masking for 5 days (if you are not able to be tested).

 

Covid-19 Positive Student Protocol

If a student tests positive for Covid-19 during on campus study they are required to notify Prime immediately and are not permitted to return to class until the CDC guidelines for recovery have been satisfied. At this time, that includes isolation for at least 5 days and being symptom-free as described in the chart above. A positive Covid-19 diagnosis will likely result in disruption of studies, but cases will be considered on an individual basis and Prime may be able to provide flexible option depending on your academic performance and where you are in the curriculum at the time of illness.

Exposure Notification Protocol

In the event of a confirmed case of Covid-19 on campus, students will be notified and required to follow CDC guidelines to limit the spread of the virus (these have historically included masking for individuals without symptoms and isolation/testing for individuals who are experiencing symptoms).

Campus Access Frequently Asked Questions

The following questions provide some context to how the campus protocol will apply in specific cases, if you have questions not covered here feel free to contact us your instructor or email us at hello@primeacademy.io. As a reminder, all on-campus students and staff are required to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19, so our protocol is based on CDC guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. 

  • What happens to my academic progress if I am exposed and ill with COVID-19?
    As detailed in our campus access protocol, students who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 are not able to study from campus until receiving a negative Covid-19 test. While we intend to work with any impacted students to support progress on a case-by-case basis, we cannot guarantee that all students will be able to maintain their original graduation timeline in the face of illness (Covid-19 or otherwise). In the event that you are not able to complete your studies on your original timeline we will work with you to provide an alternative graduation timeline - this will not incur any additional tuition or fees. 
  • Will I have to delay my studies if my child or family member that is unvaccinated is sick with COVID-19? If you have contact with someone positive for Covid-19 or whom is experiencing Covid-like symptoms but are asymptomatic yourself, you are able to study on campus but will be required to wear a mask per our campus access protocol.
  • If somebody in our cohort has known exposure and is waiting for a test result, what can we expect? Will the whole cohort need to mask? What If I'm uncomfortable being around a known infected person? Any individuals who’ve had exposure to Covid-19 should be masked while on campus (assuming they are not experiencing any symptoms). If an individual in the cohort tests positive for Covid-19, the entire cohort would be asked to mask for at least 3 days and get tested or wear masks for 5 days if they are unable or unwilling to be tested. Any individuals experiencing symptoms are required to stay home.
  • Under what circumstances would a cohort community go remote due to an exposure or positive test? All on campus students are required to be vaccinated. This fact along with the campus access protocol we’re implementing should greatly reduce the chance of a multiple students being required to quarantine. That said, if Prime determines that enough students are being affected by quarantine protocols that on-campus operations are impractical, we will switch operations to remote delivery until it is practical to resume on-campus studies.
  • If someone isn't feeling well (potential Covid symptoms), what is expected of them? Stay home? Get tested? Work remotely? As documented in the covid protocol above, symptomatic individuals are required to remain home until their symptoms subside and they’ve tested negative for covid.
  • Can I bring guests with me to campus? Students are not allowed to bring guests on campus during limited pandemic access protocols.