III-9: Emergency Closures Policy – Human Resources Policies

Policy Number: III-9
Last Reviewed: October 16, 2026
Responsible Dept.: Human Resources
Office to contact for clarifications: Human Resources

A signed copy of this policy is available in the President’s Office.

Purpose

It is the policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia that agencies ensure continued delivery of efficient operations and services. Under certain circumstances, emergency closings may occur and the college is charged with development, implementation, and communication of an internal plan that remains aligned with the expectations of the Commonwealth. This policy outlines emergency closing procedures and expectations for employees.

Definitions

Emergency Closings – The college may be closed due to inclement weather or other emergencies such as utility failure, fire, natural disaster, or other forced evacuations from the work location. Emergency closings may occur for a full business day or a partial business day (resulting in delayed openings or early dismissals).

Essential to Emergency Operations (“Essential”) – Positions designated as essential carry duties and responsibilities that may be critical to ongoing operations during an emergency. Individuals in these positions may be required to report to their assigned work location if directed by their supervisor and may be required to work during times that they are not normally scheduled to work. Telework should only occur during emergency closures if the supervisor indicates that on-site presence is not required. A listing of current positions designated as essential appears at the end of this policy.

Non-Essential to Emergency Operations – The duties and responsibilities of the position are not critical to ongoing operations during an emergency and are not required to report to their normal physical work location during an emergency closure. All employees of the Commonwealth may be called upon to assist during emergency circumstances depending on the nature or scope of the emergency situation. Employees not normally deemed essential will be notified by their supervisor if that designation may change for a particular event.

Event-Specific Designation – the President or designee may modify the designation of essential and non-essential to align with the business needs of the respective emergency. As an example, certain positions may be designated as essential during inclement weather emergencies while other positions may be designated as essential during electrical failures.

Emergency Telework Eligible – positions where all or some of the responsibilities can be conducted virtually, even if an ongoing telework agreement is not in place. Employee designation will be confirmed by the supervisor and reflected in the position description.

Policy

Announcements

When an emergency situation necessitates an adjustment to normal college hours and/or operations, that information will be shared in variety of ways.

VW ALERT/VWCC Emergency Alert System – this system will provide text and email alerts to the phone numbers and/or email addresses you specify. Visit VW Alert to sign up or edit your preferences once enrolled.
For inclement weather, local television and radio stations will include information using their standard approach, which may vary by station.
Announcements will be posted to the Virginia Western website and social media accounts, as well as via our main campus phone line at 540-857-VWCC (8922).

Employees are strongly encouraged to utilize VW ALERT as it will allow for notifications across different types of emergency events; notifications via radio or television stations may be limited to inclement weather.

Notifications impacting daytime classes or operations will normally occur no later than 6am; notifications impacting evening classes or operations will normally occur no later than 4pm.

During any emergency event, but most prevalent with inclement weather, personal circumstances may vary based on an employee’s location and conditions. It is very important that employees exercise good judgment, especially during times of inclement weather, and determine whether conditions are safe for them to report to work. If notified that an employee cannot safely travel to work, supervisors should provide flexibility with remote work or use of leave, as applicable and appropriate.

It is also important to understand how different statuses impact work expectations. When an emergency situation occurs, please pay careful attention to the wording of the announcement. Operational status designations and work expectations are as follows:

Virginia Western Closed – the college is fully closed for the day and/or evening, as specified in the closure notice. All classes, events, and services during that time frame are cancelled.
Virginia Western Remote Operations – college buildings are closed. Services will be offered remotely. Classes will occur virtually, if in session.
Virginia Western Delayed Opening – on-site classes and services will resume at the stated time.

Status	Buildings Open	Classes	Employee Work Expectations
Closed	No	Cancelled	Essential employees report as directed.
Remote Operations	No	Virtual	Essential employees report as directed; all telework eligible employees work remotely.
Delayed Opening	Yes, at the stated time	Begin at the stated time	Essential employees report as directed; other employees report at the stated time.

During emergency closures, regulations governing overtime as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act remain in place for positions classified as non-exempt. As such, expected overtime must still be approved in advance by the vice president of Finance and Administrative Services or designee. During emergency status situations, pay is handled as follows:

Status	Employee Populations	Hours/Leave
Closed	Essential On-Site	Receive regular rate of pay and compensatory time for all hours worked on-site during the emergency closure.
Closed	Full-Time Non-Essential	Receive Emergency Closure pay for all regularly scheduled hours.
Remote Operations	Essential On-Site	Receive regular rate of pay and compensatory time for all hours worked on-site during the emergency closure.
Remote Operations	Full-Time Telework Eligible **	Receive regular pay and record hours as normal.
Remote Operations	Full Time NOT Telework Eligible	Receive Emergency Closure pay for all regularly scheduled hours.
Remote Operations	Part-Time/Wage Employees	May work remotely with approval of their supervisor and record hours as normal.
Delayed Opening	Essential On-Site	Receive regular rate of pay and compensatory time for all hours worked on-site during the delay; receive regular rate of pay once the college is open.
Delayed Opening	Full-Time Non-Essential	Receive Emergency Closure pay for hours within the delay; receive regular rate of pay once the college is open.

** Employees who are considered telework eligible but unable to work remotely due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., power outage, etc.) during the emergency closure should communicate with their supervisor and Human Resources to determine whether Emergency Closure pay may apply.

Unique Employment Circumstances

Non-essential employees who are NOT eligible to telework are not eligible for emergency closing pay if on unpaid leave on the scheduled workday before and after the emergency closing.

In alignment with DHRM Policy 1.35 Emergency Closings, employees on pre-approved paid leave on the date of the emergency closing will not be eligible for emergency closure pay as they were not expected to work on the day of the closure.

If an emergency closure occurs on the first day of employment, the new employee will be eligible for emergency closure pay if they work a full day following the closure.

If an emergency closure occurs on an employee’s last day of employment, they will be eligible for emergency closure pay if they were on paid leave or worked the day before the closur

VWCC Workforce Contract Classes and/or Pre-Arranged Visitations/Appointments on Company Sites

Corporate Training Classes: In the event that the college is closed at the main campus, classes and/or pre-arranged visits and appointments that are delivered at company sites shall be postponed and rescheduled. Off-site Workforce classes will not be held in the event of a campus closure. In the event of a delay, the Administrative Officer for Corporate Training or the Program Coordinator will contact the participants with scheduling information.

Open Enrollment Workforce Classes: In the event that the college is closed at the main campus, classes shall be cancelled and rescheduled. Off-site Workforce classes will not be held in the event of a campus closure. In the event of a delay, Workforce (non-credit) students should refer to their class syllabus for delayed opening information.

Off Campus Locations

If Virginia Western is closed or operating on a delayed schedule, all off-campus locations including the Franklin Center, the Greenfield Center and the Claude Moore Education Center will also be closed or delayed.

If the conditions at an off-site location vary significantly from the main campus and that site needs to close, a specific announcement about that particular site will be made.

Health Profession Programs with Off-Campus Clinical Experiences

Health profession programs may hold off-campus clinicals on days when the College is closed. This applies only to off-campus clinical experiences held at clinical affiliates and does not apply to clinical experiences or simulation experiences held on campus. Students will be notified by their program no later than 6:30 AM for day classes or no later than 4:30 PM for night classes if clinical experiences will be held. If the College is closed and students receive no notification, then clinical experiences will follow the closure along with the rest of the College. More information on attending off-campus clinicals during inclement weather closures will be found in the Handbook for each program. The safety of students is our priority and Virginia Western recognizes variances in weather patterns throughout the Commonwealth do occur so health professions programs will work with students on an individual basis to ensure the safety of students in determining the cancellation of clinical experiences.

Academy Students

High school students enrolled in a Virginia Western Academy class should not attend Virginia Western classes if the college is closed or delayed. In addition, if Virginia Western is open but the high school the student attends is closed, the student is excused from Virginia Western classes.

A listing of positions designated as Essential to Emergency Operations may be found on the next page. Employees whose position is not on the list that are uncertain of their designation as Emergency Telework Eligible or not should confirm with their supervisor.

References

DHRM Policy 1.35 Emergency Closings
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)