Individual instructors, course supervisors, and/or departments determine the policy of class attendance within their own courses, but UI policy still requires that students be permitted to make up examinations missed because of illness, mandatory religious obligations, certain University activities, or unavoidable circumstances beyond the student’s control.

All instructors must comply with this policy. An attendance policy thus must provide options for making up exams missed due to one of these excused absences.

Given the virulence of the flu season this winter, we ask that you review this policy, below.

• Remember, attendance policies should be discussed with students during class and throughout the semester as needed, but especially before the due dates of major assignments and before exams.

SHORT-TERM ABSENCES

• Instructors should be aware that students with the flu, colds, or other viruses are encouraged by the health care community to stay home and not to seek care since viruses spread quickly in public places. UI Student Health no longer provides documentation to students for short-term illness; do not refer students to Student Health for that purpose.
• Since medical documentation is not generally available for short-term illnesses, most instructors do not ask for documentation for a short-term health issue.
• Instructors often see a correlation between students struggling in class with absences on days that key assignments are due or when exams occur. These instructors discuss the situation with a student individually, especially before an important due date, referring the student to available resources or suggesting other solutions. Once the student feels a personal responsibility to an instructor or class, the chance of academic misconduct can at times, though not always, diminish.

LONG-TERM ABSENCES

• A student with a long-term illness (or generally those who miss more than two days of classes beyond what is allowed by the instructor’s attendance policy) should be able to provide a record of appointments or documentation from a health care provider, such as a note stating the student has been under the doctor's care.
• Faculty wishing for documentation for a long-term illness should accept a summary of visits as adequate documentation. Never ask to see a student's specific medical records since they are covered by privacy laws.

OTHER SITUATIONS

• A student may have a chronic illness that necessitates special arrangements; many such students are already registered with Student Disability Services.
• Students with chronic issues or serious emergencies may qualify for a grade of Incomplete for the course, given by instructor discretion, as long as all other conditions for granting an Incomplete have been fulfilled. That is, the amount of work should be small and the student should be in good standing in the course.
• In very serious situations, a student might also be awarded the grade earned before the illness or the crisis occurred.

CONSULTING WITH CLAS

Please call my office (335-2633) if you have concerns or questions; we are happy to consult with instructors about policy, procedures, or specific student cases related to student illness, absences, and other situations.