my Year Up Student Resources

Year Up Policies

VACCINATIONS

Year Up has mandated that all students must be vaccinated or be approved for an exemption accommodation by January 2022.

To learn more, find the full policy here

EXEMPTIONS

Year Up provides reasonable accommodations for medical and religious exemptions.

To learn more, find the full policy here.

ReturnSafe | Visiting Year Up

The ReturnSafe app is a user-friendly, efficient and secure app that makes it easy to upload your vaccination information or initiate a vaccination exemption request.

Even if you are not planning to get vaccinated, please complete the following steps so that HR is aware of your status and can provide follow up support as needed.

USING RETURNSAFE FOR THE FIRST TIME

  • Have a copy of your vaccine card available when you log into ReturnSafe for the first time.
  • Install ReturnSafe
  • Open the app, click Find My ReturnSafe Space and enter the following code: yearup
  • Select: Student Sign In
  • Login using your YearUp.org email address
  • Complete the short survey in ReturnSafe.

You will click through a few intro screens before arriving at the vaccine or exemption information questions.

  • Answer all the questions presented, including the health attestation questions
  • Make sure you answer all of the questions or your work will not be saved

I already use ReturnSafe, do I need to do anything?

  • Yes! You may have used ReturnSafe before you received your yearup.org email address. Your information is not complete until you take these steps.
  • If you previously logged into ReturnSafe using a personal email address (such as Gmail), please re-sign into ReturnSafe from the same mobile device using your yearup.org email address.
  • Here’s how:
    • If necessary, logout and then log back in to ReturnSafe.
    • Select: Student Sign In.
    • Log in using your YearUp.org email address.
    • Once you complete all the questions, your record will update automatically.
    • Make sure your vaccine information is up to date in ReturnSafe. See “Vaccine Updates” below.
    • Always use your yearup.org email address to log into ReturnSafe going forward.

VACCINE UPDATES

  • If you recently received a vaccine, be sure to update your vaccination information in ReturnSafe. Click here for instructions.

EXEMPTIONS

  • For those who received an approved exemption during the enrollment process, please select “I have an approved exemption”.
  • For those who are in the process of an exemption review, please select “My exemption is in process”.

wear a
mask

wash your hands

stay 6 feet
apart

avoid
crowds

1. setup an account

Use ReturnSafe and to create an account.

When prompted, enter the organization code: YEARUP

Complete your registration information.

2. before your visit

Complete the daily health assessment check-in the day you are scheduled to be at Year Up.

This can be done in 3 ways:

USE THE WEB PORTAL

Download the Apple app
Download the Android app

3. have symptoms?

Inform your Program Manager / Lead

Stay home.

Stay away from others.

4. when you arrive

Present QR code on app mobile device for scanning.

If you do not have a mobile device, you can print-off the QR code when completing the assessment on the web portal.

If you do not have a printer, reach out to your Program Manager / Lead, or Coach.

  1.  

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Our vaccine mandate takes effect January 2022. We are currently working on back end process, policy, systems and resources to support vaccination verification. Once that is set up, we will ask students and interns to take necessary steps to verify their vaccination status in the fall.
  • All Students will be required to be vaccinated by January 2nd, 2022. This means that you will need to have at had least your first vaccination shot no later than December 1st, 2021 in order to be fully vaccinated by the beginning of January. Individuals who do not meet one of the exemptions and still choose not to become fully vaccinated by January 2022, will no longer be eligible to participate in the Year Up program.
  • While we understand this expectation is different than it was when you were first admitted, Year Up has been continuing to track the progression and the changing realities of the pandemic. It is imperative that we stay responsive to the latest pandemic information to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff, and also to continue preparing our program participants for the emerging requirements of the workspaces in which we are placing you.
  • Part of being matched to an internship will include becoming fully vaccinated.  If you do not intend on becoming vaccinated, or if you do not take steps toward becoming fully vaccinated by December 1st, 2021, you will not eligible to go on to the internship phase of the program, and will not be matched. 
  • Students who do not intend to get vaccinated can opt to continue with L&D until the end of year or the end of the credit bearing courses in which you are currently enrolled, whichever comes first. In cases where credit bearing courses extend past Jan 1, 2022, staff will work with students on a case by case basis to develop a plan for course completion.
  • Please keep in mind that workplaces are regularly updating their approach to health and safety as it relates to COVID. We are seeing many of our corporate partners require vaccination for their employees. As you look to the future and your job search, being vaccinated will likely be a requirement of many jobs.
  • Interns in the Class of January 2022 (your internship ends in January, February or March) will not be required to meet the Year Up vaccination mandate. We still strongly suggest that all members of our Year Up community become vaccinated to ensure their own as well as that of all students and staff.
  • If you choose to not be vaccinated, you will be required to test (where available) prior to visiting sites.
  • Companies are updating their health and safety plans frequently, and many of you are already placed in internships that require vaccines. During your internship, there may be more companies that require vaccines over the rest of 2021 and into 2022.
  • Please keep in mind that workplaces are regularly updating their approach to health and safety as it relates to COVID. We are seeing many of our corporate partners require vaccination for their employees. As you look to the future and your job search, being vaccinated will likely be a requirement of many jobs.
  • Regardless if your internship is virtual or in person, you will need to still follow the requirements stated for your cohort.
  • There is much more information to come. And we strongly encourage you to start planning on getting your first shot by December 1st, 2021 so that you are fully vaccinated by the time the policy goes into effect on January 2nd, 2022.
  • By November, there will be a central Year Up team set up for all students and interns. This team will be able to support students and interns with questions around with your choice to be vaccinated or in applying for a medical or religious exemption.
  • If you have an imminent or urgent information need, please reach out to your Student Services Manager, Learning Coach, or Program Manager so they can better understand your question and help move you to resolution or connect you with the right resource.
  • Excused & paid time off to get vaccinated and recover from vaccine side effects.
  • Suggested local resources of nearby vaccination locations via Vaccine Finder.
     
  • “Fully vaccinated” means full course of the CDC conditionally approved (or FDA fully approved) vaccines (i.e. two shots of Moderna or Pfizer, one for Johnson and Johnson). This also includes any booster shots necessary to maintain vaccination status and similarly approved by the CDC and FDA.
  • We expect a solution to be in place to collect this information from staff and students in November.  We strongly encourage you to go as soon as possible to get your first shot. The latest date to obtain a first shot and meet this requirement is December 1st, 2021 so that you are fully vaccinated by the time the policy goes into effect on January 2nd, 2022.
  • Our legal team has checked all state laws relevant to our organization to make sure we’re complying with the latest laws and executive orders.
  • We continue to monitor these laws as they are rapidly changing, and we commit to adapting our policy as necessary so we can remain compliant. 
  • Our policy decision was driven by our responsibility to ensure the safety of all staff and students and is guided by the best available public health and scientific information. With all of this in mind, we also want to acknowledge distrust of medicine and science within many Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. The skepticism is rooted in a history of experimentation, discrimination, and racism. Second, we also acknowledge COVID-19 has disproportionally impacted Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. Black, Brown, and Indigenous are represented disproportionately among essential workers and industries. Third, we recognize there is a level of uncertainty about the speed at which scientists developed vaccines. Researchers leveraged previous coronavirus and vaccine research, technological advancements developed over almost two decades, and significant private and public funding to develop vaccines. Finally, we are aware a wide range of individuals with underlying conditions have faced significant challenges remaining safe.
  • The Year Up Privacy Policy explicitly protects private information, including medical information, to not be shared among staff or students. Other than designated staff managing and enforcing our vaccine policy, we expect that our staff and students are not asking about, or discussing,  people’s vaccination status. A person’s vaccination status is personal information that they can choose whether or not to share.  If you are not comfortable sharing your vaccination status with someone around the water cooler, then you do not need to disclose it.
  • For students in our college partner model, you will still be a college student and we encourage you to continue pursuing your academic pathway in whatever way works best for you.
  • You can remain in the college courses in which you are currently enrolled. The same payment approach for these classes will apply that has already been planned. If you choose not to be vaccinated, we will not enroll you in any future classes after the ones in which you are currently enrolled.
  • If you withdraw from the Year Up program, you will need to work with the college to identify your path forward, as you will no longer be in Year Up student.
  • You will also need to work with the college to confirm funding for your course work once you are no longer in Year Up.
  • Effective January 2nd, this is a Year Up policy and students must be fully vaccinated 2 weeks prior to first day of Orientation.
  • No changes to policy for the remainder of 2021.
  • Policies for visitor requirements in 2022 are currently being developed and will be shared over the next couple of months.
  • There is much more information to come.  We strongly encourage students in the July 2022 cohort to start planning on getting your first shot by December 1st, 2021 so that you are fully vaccinated by the time the policy goes into effect on January 2nd, 2022.
  • By November, there will be a central Year Up team set up for all students and interns.  This team will be able to support students and interns with questions around with your choice to be vaccinated or in applying for a medical or religious exemption.
  • If you have an imminent or urgent information need, please reach out to your Student Services Manager, Learning Coach, or Program Manager so they can better understand your question and help move you to resolution or connect you with the right resource.
  • First, we continue to respect anyone’s personal decision on being vaccinated or not. That said, if after being informed of Year Up’s decision on vaccination requirements you still have questions, the appropriate staff to speak with should be:
    • Continue to speak with your Student Services staff.
    • If you wish to escalate your questions or concerns, contact your Site Director.
    • If your Site Director requires it, you may be referred to your Regional Director of Program.
Vaccine Resources

© Year Up | 2021