In Massachusetts, Colleges Ask Government for Liability Shield and Testing Help – The Chronicle of Higher Education
College leaders may be talking a big game about planning to reopen this fall, but such plans are dependent on many factors — perhaps most notably, government orders, guidance, and flexibility. In Massachusetts, where higher education is a significant part of the regional economy, a coalition of public and private colleges is urging the state government to provide certain assurances as institutions prepare to welcome their students back.
A group of public and private campuses — including wealthy, selective research universities; community colleges; and tuition-dependent private colleges — asked that Massachusetts health insurers cover testing costs not absorbed by the federal government. They wanted local leaders to assist with providing testing, protective equipment, and cleaning supplies, in addition to enacting contact-tracing systems.
And they echoed the calls of 14 college leaders who met with White House officials this month: if colleges prepare comprehensive reopening plans, they said, the Commonwealth should give them a “safe harbor from liability.”
Such requests, released publicly on Wednesday, show higher education’s desire for collaboration with the state, said Laurie A. Leshin, the leader of the group, president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and a member of Gov. Charlie Baker’s reopening advisory committee.