Penland School of Craft
COVID-19 Safety Guidelines
2024 Programs
To protect our staff, students, instructors, and the surrounding community during the pandemic, we have made changes to our policies, procedures, and physical structures at Penland. If you have spent time on campus before, you may be used to certain routines that have been changed or spaces that now have restricted access. Please pay extra attention to the signage posted throughout campus and respect all guidelines designed to keep you and others safe while at Penland.
These guidelines represent an agreement between you and the school. Penland agrees to direct resources to maintain systems of health and safety, and you agree to adjust your life here in accordance with those systems. Anyone who intentionally or repeatedly violates these guidelines will not be allowed to stay on campus.
Penland does not currently require any health screening, such as proof of vaccination or a negative test result, in order to participate in on-campus programming. That said, please help us maintain a safe community by exercising extra care in the weeks leading up to your arrival and, most importantly, by staying home if you become sick.
If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or if you receive a positive test, within ten days of your arrival, please reach out to us and we will help determine if it is safe to attend your session. If you are unable to come to campus because of an active COVID-19 infection you will receive a refund according to our refund policy.
If at any time during your stay you are experiencing any symptoms, or have any reason to believe you may have been exposed to the coronavirus, please isolate safely and call the Penland Staff On-Call Number (828-358-4586), which is posted in all buildings on campus. If you are coughing or experiencing other possible symptoms of infection, Penland may require you to take a test and, regardless of test results, to mask in shared indoor spaces.
Face coverings are a tool that Penland will use more or less widely, depending on the severity of the pandemic. Currently, face coverings are optional in all spaces on campus. However, Penland asks that anyone experiencing any signs of illness, regardless of COVID test results, wear a mask in shared indoor spaces. Additionally, if someone tests positive for COVID during your workshop, everyone in close contact with that person will be required to follow current CDC guidelines and wear a mask for ten days after the last possible exposure.
When required, appropriate face coverings need to meet current CDC recommendations. Whether commercial or homemade, a mask should consist of two or more layers that cover the nose and mouth completely. Face shields do not meet the current standards. Everyone is responsible for providing their own face coverings.
Anyone who is unwilling to meet the requirements of this policy should not come to Penland. The only exceptions to the face covering policy are children under the age of two.
Please plan to arrive between 1:00 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. on the first day of your workshop (work/study students and studio assistants have a different schedule). Staff will be set up to greet incoming students and instructors and will also be available by phone to support your arrival. If you experience issues on your way to campus or after your arrival, please use the Penland Staff On-Call Number (828-358-4586) to contact our on-call staff member.
All incoming students and instructors must attend our all-school orientation at 5pm in the Northlight Social Hall. Orientation is intended as a supplement to Penland’s student handbook, which you should also review before your arrival.
All workshop participants will attend a studio orientation and safety tour on the first day of their workshop. This meeting is mandatory for all students and instructors and will orient them to our basic safety practices as well as our protocols for health and safety during the pandemic.
We have returned to pre-pandemic occupancy limits in our studios, which, while allowing for well-spaced work, are not intended to preserve strict social distancing at all times. The studios are equipped with touch-free hand-sanitizer stations and handwashing sinks. Ventilation systems are in more frequent use and modifications have been made to maximize air flow.
Penland housing will be cleaned according to CDC guidelines, which we are closely monitoring to make sure that we meet or exceed them. Linens will be provided, and housekeeping will ask you to fill out a card letting them know if you would like routine cleaning or cleaning by request only. Fresh linens and extra room cleaning is always available by request by emailing guestservices@penland.org.
Our food preparation, serving, and dining has sometimes been modified during the pandemic, but you will always enjoy high-quality food, prepared with care. The Pines dining hall is open for indoor dining and we have returned to our usual buffet service. We have areas across campus set aside for well-spaced dining, including additional, covered outdoor areas.
All food items are prepared by our ServSafe-certified employees and all kitchen and coffee house employees have been trained and certified in the current training program offered by the state of North Carolina (Count On Me NC) teaching the most up-to-date food service practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If, at any time during your stay on Penland campus, you notice any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or have any other reason to suspect that you may be infected, please isolate safely and call the Penland Staff On-Call Number at (828-358-4586). If you test positive for COVID, you will need to either safely leave campus or remain in isolation until it is safe to return to your previous campus routine. We will observe all CDC recommendations about isolation and quarantine.
Penland staff can help you coordinate collecting your belongings for departure, assist in arranging transportation to a hospital or other medical facility, or help arrange a COVID-19 test on campus or at one of the nearby testing facilities. We have a very limited number of isolated housing designated for people needing to isolate. If you test positive for COVID-19 we cannot guarantee that you can stay on campus and no one will be permitted to stay on campus after the session is over. We can help you connect with other, local accommodations. Penland cannot be responsible for any change in your travel arrangements that this might entail. Please have a plan to get home or isolate off campus in the case that you test positive for COVID.
Penland staff will use interviews to determine the level of risk to others on campus. We will not disclose the names of people with suspected infections, but we will communicate directly with close contacts about necessary precautions that may need to be taken. We will communicate with everyone on campus if the circumstances present a safety concern for the community as a whole and we will contact and follow all guidance from local health authorities.
At any time after the workshops begin, Penland staff can help you schedule a COVID-19 test and arrange transportation to local testing facilities. There is currently free, drive-through testing available through the local pharmacy. To schedule a test and/or arrange for transportation, please call the Penland Staff On-Call Number (828-358-4586). Penland also has a number of over-the-counter tests available as an additional screening tool.
Penland staff can help transport a person to a testing location, local medical facility, or to local accommodations for longer-term isolation.
If someone on campus tests positive for COVID-19, Penland will communicate with everyone on campus. Anyone who is deemed a potential close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19 will need to exercise extra caution and follow CDC guidelines regarding exposure and isolation. Accordingly, anyone sharing a studio or housing with someone who tests positive for COVID will be required to wear a mask in all shared, indoor spaces for 10 days after the last possible exposure.
Anyone who tests positive during their stay at Penland must either return home immediately or isolate and follow the above CDC guidelines regarding isolation. We have a limited amount of housing reserved for those needing to isolate and arrangements will be made to deliver food from the dining hall to anyone in isolation. Anyone who departs because of a confirmed case of COVID-19 will receive a prorated refund for missed studio time, room, and meals. Students isolating on campus because of a confirmed case of COVID-19 will receive a prorated refund for missed studio time, but not room and board.
Penland makes a substantial investment when planning a workshop, and vacancies can be hard to fill even if there is a waiting list, so we must charge cancellation fees to offset the cost of these vacancies. If you cancel anytime up to 30 before the beginning of a workshop, you will receive a refund minus the $50 non refundable processing fee and a cancellation fee ($250 for concentration and $100 for all other workshops).
If you cancel less than 30 days before the beginning of the workshop, refunds are not available. However, if you test positive for COVID-19 within the 10 days prior to your workshop, please contact the registrar.
If it is necessary for Penland to cancel a workshop for any reason, students will be notified and offered another class or a refund. We cannot, however, be responsible for nonrefundable airline tickets. This policy also applies to partial scholarship recipients.
If, at any time during your stay on Penland’s campus, you feel you may be sick or have any reason to suspect that there is a health and safety issue on campus that needs urgent attention, please call the Penland Staff On-Call Number at (828) 358-4586.
If you have any questions about Penland’s COVID-19 safety guidelines or emergency procedures, please contact Penland’s director of operations, Ian Henderson, at operationsdir@penland.org or (828) 765-2359 ext. 1324.