Stay informed.
This page will contain the most up to date information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
10-05-21 CARES Act18004(a)(1) Institutional Portion and 18004(1)(2) Emergency Relief Fund Report
10-05-21 CARES Act Emergency Relief (HEERF) Student Portion Allocation Report
8-11-21 Sitting Bull College Policies and Procedures COVID Pandemic Revised August 2021
8-4-21 Fall 2021 COVID Syllabi Statement (superseded by 8-16-21 version)
7-31-21 CARES Act Emergency Relief Fund Report
7-31-21 CARES Act Institutional Title III Fund Report
6-3-2021 CDC and Independence Day Break (superseded by 8-11-21 policy)
3-31-21 CARES Act Institutional & Title III March 31, 2021
3-31-21 CARES Act Emergency Relief Fund March 31, 2021
1-18-21 Binax Rapid COVID Test
1-8-21 Spring 2021: Daily Steps with COVID -19 App
10-8-20 Updated COVID-19 Information
9-30-20 CARES Act 18004(a)(1)Student Aid Portion Emergency Relief Fund
9-21-20 COVID-19 Testing Event
8-24-20 Student Guidelines for Safety
8-24-20 Student Guidelines for COVID Cases or Contact
8-18-20 Sitting Bull College App (Contact Trace Forms, Pre-Screening, Symptoms Tracker, and more)
8-10-20 Sitting Bull College COVID Pandemic Policies and Procedures SBC Board of Trustees Approved 8-7-20
7-2-20 CARES Act Emergency Relief Fund
6-16-20 Update (superseded)
5-7-20 CARES Act Emergency Relief Fund
3-18-20 Update to Students from Vice President (superseded)
9-13-21 COVID Testing Information
If you need to get a rapid test completed, please use this QRCode (click here) or this link (click here) to get registered. Also, the following individuals can do the rapid testing on the Fort Yates campus: Koreen Ressler, Stephanie Rusher, and Pam Ternes. Mobridge site: Jan Brockel and McLaughlin site: Bernadette Terrell:
IHS Public Health will be on campus September 13 (today) from 11am-1pm. They will be located in the STC atrium. They do have both Pfizer and Moderna vaccine readily available. It is open to all employees, students, and families members. Each person that receives the vaccination will be required to complete information to be added to the Indian Health Service’s records. So if you know someone that isn’t vaccinated, undecided, or never had the chance to get it, bring them along.
8-16-21 Fall 2021 COVID Syllabi Statement
SBC has established the following COVID protocol for fall semester:
Protections Put in Place
The College continues to offer the COVID 19 rapid test to employees and students. If you are not feeling well and wish to be tested, you can contact one of the following people: Koreen Ressler, Science and Technology Center; Stephanie Rusher, Student Center; Pam Ternes, Transit Center; Bernadette Terrell, McLaughlin Site; and Jan Brockel, Mobridge Site.
In order to be tested please register using the link below. This link is specific to just Sitting Bull College. It will be a way for us to track how many tests we have given and the results. In addition, it will send the person being tested a notification of the results.
Sitting Bull College Registration Link: This is the link anyone testing through the Sitting Bull College event will need to use
Daily Screening
The College is continuing with READY Education. They are the vendor for our campus app. Each morning everyone will get a push notification to do a self-assessment of their health. Once this is completed and if no symptoms are noted, individuals will get a 24 hour clear message.
The app can be downloaded through your IPhone or Android app store at no cost.
1. From your app store on your smart device, search “Sitting Bull College” (if you already have the SBC app, skip to #3).
2. Download the Sitting Bull College app.
3. Login with your SBC email.
Each morning an alert will be sent to your device to complete the screening test. If you answer no to all the screening questions, you will receive a cleared health check. If you answer yes to any of the questions, you will not be cleared and an alert will be sent to the Vice President of Operations, Koreen Ressler. She will contact you through email to determine if you need to be rapid tested, or other measures taken.
Face Masks
Face masks are required of all employees and students. SBC will have masks available in all facilities.
When wearing masks are mandatory:
• When in an indoor common space (lounges, hallways, study areas, bathrooms, classrooms etc.)
• When interacting with others
• When riding in campus buses or other SBC vehicles with more than one person
Face masks should always be worn to cover both the nose and the mouth.
Employee/contractors wearing cloth face masks should change masks on a daily basis and wash the masks daily after use. Cloth masks can be washed in any of the following manners:
• Hand wash with soap and water and allowed to hang dry (or)
• Soak in a solution of 4 teaspoons of bleach into 1 quart of water – soak for 5 minutes and rinse thoroughly with water and allow to hand dry (or)
• Placed in the washer and drier with normal laundry using as warm of water as possible for the fabric
Face masks do not need to be worn:
• While outside if an appropriate social distance from others is maintained, typically six feet
• When alone in a private office or work space
• While participating in programs, events and experiences granted exceptions by the College President
We continue to offer the $500 vaccination incentive for those employees and students who have not received their vaccinations yet. Students will receive the $250 at midterm, if they are attending 70% of the time and maintaining a 2.0 GPA. They will receive the remaining $250 at the end of the semester so long as they attended classes 70% of the time and maintained a 2.0 GPA. There is a place on their MySBC in which students can upload their vaccination card. If they aren’t sure how to do that, Administrative Assistant Angel in the STC can make a copy and give to Koreen to be uploaded.
Temperature Checks
Everyone is required to check their temperature using the equipment found at the entrance of each building. Those with temperatures above 100.4 are asked to leave. The entrance remain the same as we previously were using.
Everyone is asked not to enter our facilities and to contact Dr. Koreen Ressler at Koreen.Ressler@sittingbull.edu or at 701-854-8001 if:
· They feel sick or have symptoms including a temperature of 100.4 or higher. We will continue to use the SBC app for daily health checks. If you feel sick or are experiencing symptoms such as persistent cough; fever/chills; body aches; chest pains; or difficulty breathing, please stay home. We also will continue with the COVID rapid tests on demand.
· They have been in close contact with COVID-19 or have spent time in a high-risk area.
· They were informed by the ND or SD Department of Health or any other agency, that they may have been in close contact with a person who may have been infected with COVID-19 or they have recently traveled or spent time in a high-risk area.
· They are supposed to be self-isolating.
· They were informed by a health agency that they should self-isolate because of a recent close contact with a person possibly infected with COVID-19.
Also please continue with the following:
· Wash hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
· Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
· Avoid touching mouth, nose, or eyes.
· Cover coughs/sneezes with arm or a tissue.
The College will continue to provide masks, hand sanitizers, and sanitizing wipes. Again, Administration will be assessing the protocol regularly.
Quarantine if you have been in close contact (within 6 feet of someone for a cumulative total of 15
minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone who has COVID-19, unless you have been fully vaccinated. People who are fully vaccinated do NOT need to quarantine after contact with someone who had COVID-19 unless you have symptoms. However, fully vaccinated people should get tested 3-5 days after their exposure, even if they don’t have symptoms and wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until their test result is negative.
What to Do if Not Fully Vaccinated
- Stay home for 14 days after your last contact with a person who has COVID-19.
- Watch for fever (100.4◦F), cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19.
- If possible, stay away from people you live with, especially people who are at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19.
After quarantine
- Watch for symptoms until 14 days after exposure.
- If you have symptoms, immediately self-isolate and contact your local public health authority or healthcare provider.
You may be able to shorten your quarantine
Your local public health authorities make the final decisions about how long quarantine should last, based on local conditions and needs. Follow the recommendations of your local public health department if you need to quarantine. Options they will consider include stopping quarantine
- After day 10 without testing
- After day 7 after receiving a negative test result (test must occur on day 5 or later)
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Isolation
Isolation is used to separate people infected with COVID-19 from those who are not infected.
People who are in isolation should stay home until it’s safe for them to be around others. At home, anyone sick or infected should separate from others, stay in a specific “sick room” or area, and use a separate bathroom (if available).
What to do
- Monitor your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), seek emergency medical care immediately.
- Stay in a separate room from other household members, if possible.
- Use a separate bathroom, if possible.
- Avoid contact with other members of the household and pets.
- Don’t share personal household items, like cups, towels, and utensils.
- Wear a mask when around other people if able.
Learn more about what to do if you are sick and how to notify your contacts.
When You Can be Around Others After You Had or Likely Had COVID-19
Most people do not require testing to decide when they can be around others; however, if your healthcare provider recommends testing, they will let you know when you can resume being around others based on your test results.
For Anyone Who Has Been Around a Person with COVID-19
Anyone who has had close contact with someone with COVID-19 should stay home for 14 days after their last exposure to that person.
However, anyone who has had close contact with someone with COVID-19 and who meets the following criteria does NOT need to stay home.
- Someone who has been fully vaccinated and shows no symptoms of COVID-19. However, fully vaccinated people should get tested 3-5 days after their exposure, even they don’t have symptoms and wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until their test result is negative.
Or
- Someone who has COVID-19 illness within the previous 3 months and
- Has recovered and
- Remains without COVID-19 symptoms (for example, cough, shortness of breath)
I think or know I had COVID-19, and I had symptoms
You can be around others after:
- 10 days since symptoms first appeared and
- 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
- Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving*
*Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation
Note that these recommendations do not apply to people with severe COVID-19 or with weakened immune systems (immunocompromised).
I tested positive for COVID-19 but had no symptoms
If you continue to have no symptoms, you can be with others after 10 days have passed since you had a positive viral test for COVID-19.
If you develop symptoms after testing positive, follow the guidance above for “I think or know I had COVID-19, and I had symptoms.”
1-11-21 “Help is Here” Launch
Feeling stressed? Overwhelmed? Sad? Frustrated? Are there people around you in your work or home feeling the same?
Additional Resources
North Dakota Dept. of Health COVID-19 Information
How Coronavirus symptoms compare to the flu, allergies and common cold