Community

What is Bard doing to help keep nearby communities safe?

Bard’s COVID-19 response plan takes into consideration our surrounding communities. Bard students who are enrolled for classes this semester and living off campus are subject to the same expectations and policies as those living on campus. All off-campus students must sign a health pledge and adhere to our daily health screening protocols. All students living off campus or visiting local communities must adhere to Bard’s health and safety policies, including arrival testing, periodic testing, physical distancing, wearing face masks, and quarantine and contact tracing protocols. They are also expected to abide by all state and local health and safety measures. All Bard students are expected to adhere to these rules whenever they are off campus in the local communities, for any reason. Students who fail to adhere to these protocols are subject to the same disciplinary measures as those living on campus. Throughout the semester we will be reminding everyone in the Bard community of the importance of taking personal responsibility for the safety of others, both on and off campus.

Are there currently COVID-19 cases on campus?

Please visit the College's data dashboard for information, which is updated at least once a week.

Bard's COVID-19 Data Dashboard

Are Bard facilities open to the public?

Bard is operating as a restricted campus. Access to the campus by members of the surrounding communities and casual visitors is prohibited. Limited exceptions are outlined in the Campus Visitor Policy for outdoor visits from daily household members of Bard students, faculty, and staff, or for essential civic activities. A person who does not live, work, or study at Bard will otherwise not be allowed access to campus without prior approval from the College.

Signage to this effect is posted at campus access points to alert the Bard community and our neighbors. Local government leaders have been notified that this is a precautionary measure in light of regional upticks in COVID-19 cases, and is intended solely to preserve the health and safety of the Bard community. Access to residence hall dormitories continues to be limited to those who reside there, and students living off campus should limit campus visits to classes and outdoor spaces.

May I visit outdoor spaces on Bard’s main campus?

The campus’s outdoor spaces are currently closed to the public, with the exception of the Montgomery Place grounds, which are open Saturdays and Sundays only from dawn to dusk.

Is Montgomery Place open to the public?

The Montgomery Place grounds have reopened for public access on Saturdays and Sundays only from dawn to dusk. Mansion tours are currently suspended. The Annandale campus remains restricted at this time. Please visit the Montgomery Place website for information about visiting.

How can I obtain permission to come to campus for urgent or essential matters?

Only requests for urgent and/or essential visitors will be approved until further notice.

• Third-party visitor requests will only be approved in exceptional cases and for essential civic activities such as elections, where visitors will be directed to closely controlled facilities operated and cleaned in keeping with COVID-19 protocols approved by New York State and the CDC. Do not submit a request unless it is urgent or essential to the welfare of our community.
• For the health and safety of our campus community, supervisors must request permission and receive approval for any non-Bard, third-party visitor to campus at this time. This is not required for visitors going into private residences.
• Once approval is received, the authorized visitor will be sent an email from the COVID Check-In Coordinator with a link to the health screening form, which they must complete prior to their arrival on campus.