Chapter 4 Section 15 Student Absence for Reasons of Faith or Conscience

Procedure

1. Students must coordinate an absence with the Office of the Vice President for Instruction. Such absences must be requested in writing within the first two weeks of the quarter and may not incur additional fees for students. In the event that the absence would occur within the first two weeks of the quarter, the student must provide a minimum of 14 days advance written notice for on-campus activities (i.e. classroom, lab) or provide advance written notice prior to the last day of the preceding quarter for off-campus activities (i.e. Clinical rotations) occurring in the next quarter. If the necessity for the absence was not known until later, the student will submit the request within one day of becoming aware.

   All requests for authorized absences under this policy must be in writing and contain a concise explanation of how the requested holiday is related to a reason of faith or conscience or to an organized activity conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or religious organization. 

2. All absences under this policy must be approved by the Vice President for Instruction in advance of the absence. The college will not authorize an absence for a student after the absence occurs unless there are compelling circumstances to do so.

3. The Office of the Vice President for Instruction will provide the student with a document verifying the date of the approved absence and further instructions. In order to ensure that their absence does not negatively impact their grades, the student must comply with directions for notifying their instructors of their upcoming authorized absence. The student is solely responsible for ensuring the documentation authorizing the absence is provided to each of the instructors whose classes or assignments are related to the absence.

4. After an instructor is notified by the student of an upcoming absence, the instructor will determine what adjustments, if any, will need to be made to the student's scheduled classwork or assignments. The instructor shall inform the student of these adjustments within two days of receiving notification of the student's absence.

5. If the student's desired absence date is on a day when a test is scheduled or an assignment is due, the instructor may require that the student take the test or submit the assignment before the regularly assigned date.

6. Regardless of an instructor's class expectations or grading policies, absences authorized under this policy shall not adversely impact a student's grade.

7. If a student fails to notify any of their instructors of an authorized absence under this policy (as approved by the Vice President for Instruction), the instructor is not obligated to make any accommodations for the student's absence or treat the absence as being authorized under this policy or the law.