ACU will return to in-person instruction Monday, as the country continues to grapple the effects of COVID-19, which canceled all in-person instruction at ACU in the spring semester.

The university has mandated face coverings in all buildings and outdoors when social distancing is not possible. ACU also intends to move online following Thanksgiving break for the remainder of the semester.

“ACU senior leadership is continually monitoring the rapidly changing global threat posed by the coronavirus,” the university said in a statement.

Since then, protocols have been put in place if a student tests positive.

If students are exposed and instructed to quarantine, each of their instructors is alerted and the quarantined students participate in classes remotely for the quarantine period. Meanwhile, if an entire class is exposed and instructed to quarantine, the class shifts to remote instruction for the quarantine period.

ACU will provide free voluntary PCR COVID-19 testing to faculty, staff and students. There is no requirement to be tested for COVID-19, excluding student-athletes.

“Departments and programs cannot require students to submit to COVID-19 testing,” Phil Schubert, president of the university, said in an email Aug. 14. “Students who need testing as required by their clinical placement site or off-campus employer may obtain testing at the ACU Medical Clinic.”

The university will also host several open testing days for asymptomatic ACU faculty, staff and students who consent to be part of the approved research study. The first testing day is scheduled for Sept. 8.

There have been as many as 14 active ACU-related COVID-19 cases throughout the summer. As of Friday, the university was reporting six active cases.

Other universities across the nation have already experienced outbreaks on campus, but the university is focusing on the fall semester and currently has no intentions to shift online.

“At ACU, our top priority has been – and will always be – the health, safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff,” Schubert said in an email in July. “With that in mind, we have developed a plan that harnesses what we know today and provides flexibility for the fall.”