Class Absence Notification

Class attendance often has a significant impact on student academic performance. The Case Management team within the Office of the Dean of Students provides Class Absence Notifications for students with documented emergent situations and extenuating circumstances as outlined below.

Students should contact their instructors first whenever they will experience an absence from class. Notification of a class absence does not excuse students from classes and/or course requirements. It is a means through which information can be shared regarding emergent and extenuating circumstances.

It is the responsibility of the student to contact the instructors and determine a mutually agreed upon arrangement for missed work. The ultimate decision regarding absences and the resulting influence those absences have on grades or course progression, is at the discretion of the instructor in consideration of policies outlined via course syllabi. The decision for flexibility by faculty should not be based on receiving approval of a Class Absence Notification.

Every absence accumulated throughout the semester does not meet the requirement for an emergency or extenuating circumstance. Therefore, we highly encourage students to reach out to faculty within a timely manner before and/or after the absence.

Faculty, we encourage you to provide students with direct answers whether you will permit them to make up missed work or exams. Those decisions cannot be made by the Case Management team.

Please note:

COVID RELATED ABSENCES

Communicate directly with your faculty regarding your absence(s) since it is at the discretion of faculty members to provide alternative arrangements with you and discuss academic options.
Case Management will only send class absence notifications due to COVID for students who have been significantly impacted (hospitalization or long-term sickness which has lasted beyond 2 weeks).

Any on-going or chronic health or mental health concerns should be addressed through the Office of Disability Resources.

Any pregnancy or parenting concerns should be addressed through the Office of Access and Equity: Equal Opportunity.

Class Attendance

Per the Academic Affairs Attendance and Absence Policies OP 2.3.5.4, instructors may include class attendance as a criterion in determining a student's final grade in the course if students are informed of the class attendance policy and the impact of attendance on the final grade in the class syllabus.

The instructor’s attendance policy listed in their course syllabus can help determine whether an absence is excused or unexcused. Instructors have the ultimate discretion regarding absences and the resulting influence those absences have on grades or course progression.

Life Events and Unanticipated Absences

Events may arise from time to time which are not within the control of the student, yet result in a class absence. For those occasions, it is once again highly encouraged for the student to communicate such absences with their instructor. Whether the absence will be excused is solely up to the instructor’s discretion. The following events are not included in the Class Absence Notification process.

Non-qualifying events

Non-urgent doctors appointments (dentist visits, annual exams, physicals, etc.)
Non-emergency medical visits
- Per Academic Affairs Attendance and Absence Policies OP 2.3.5.5, students will receive an automatic notification that they were seen in the M.S. Shook Student Health Service. Privacy regulations prohibit release of any information without the student's permission. The student, however, may share their health information including that they were seen, along with the automatic notification.
COVID/Flu/Streptococcal Infections/Mononucleosis/Norovirus/Common Colds/Etc.
Weather
Car problems
Final Exams
On-going medical or mental health conditions with ongoing medical concerns such as concussions and broken bones (please review resources and support offered through the Office of Disability Resources)

Anticipated Absences

Students should communicate with faculty ahead of such events to arrange for alternatives such as completing exams or assignments before the intended absence. The following events are not included in the Class Absence Notification process.

Participation in University Sponsored Events (Attendance Policy: OP 2.3.5.6)
Jury Duty
Religious Holidays (Attendance Policy: OP 2.3.5.2)

Emergency/Extenuating Circumstances:

The following list of circumstances are appropriate for submitting a request for a Class Absence Notification. Documentation is required for all requests at the time of submission. Requests submitted without documentation will be denied. Military Orders are protected by law and can extend for a lengthy period per the government. For submissions regarding health, personal, and family events, requests can be submitted for up to two weeks. Due to the rigor of coursework, it is not very often where we have seen students be successful after missing a significant amount of class time.

See FAQs for additional information regarding the listed reasons for absence

Repetitive absences due to any reason can have a significant impact on whether a student is able to complete their semester course load in a timely manner. Should this be a concern, we encourage students to seek additional options such as Career Drops, Medical Class Load Reduction, Incompletes, or Withdrawals.

Health

Hospitalization

Personal/Family Event

Death of an immediate family member
- Immediate family is defined as spouse, parents, siblings, children, grandparents, and grandchildren
Impacted by natural disaster
Interpersonal violence

Military Orders

Official military orders placing a student into active duty status
Official military orders requiring a student to attend mandatory training

Documentation

Requests must be made within 10 business days of the absence and must include documentation at the time of submission. Should a student be unable to provide documentation within 10 business days of an absence, the Office of the Dean of Students reserves the right to evaluate, on a case-by-case basis, whether a Class Absence Notification will be approved. Additional details can be reviewed in FAQs for Students. Documentation must be clear, concise and submitted as follows:

Health

Medical excused absences must be provided on official letterhead and dated by a licensed medical or mental health provider. The documentation must state the dates of treatment or hospitalization and the student's anticipated return date.

Example: Student cannot return to school from 2/01/2024 - 2/09/2024. Student may return on 2/10/2024.

The specific dates of absence must be identified by the medical or mental health provider. Please do not include any other medical records or photographs as it will not suffice.

Death of an Immediate Family Member

Must provide an obituary (online version or hard copy), memorial service pamphlet, or other documentation. Such documentation must include the date of the immediate family member's passing, date of funeral/memorial service, and the city and state where the services were held. Students must state the nature of the relationship in their request.

Military Orders

Official military orders must be signed and dated by a commanding officer/designee and include dates of departure and return.

After Submission of a Request

Submitted requests will generally be reviewed within two to four business days depending on the volume of requests.
If the request meets criteria, a Class Absence Notification will be sent to instructors via email and the student submitting the request will be CC'd on the email.
If the request does not meet criteria, a denial email will be sent to the student’s AppState email account.
The Office of the Dean of Students reserves the right to grant or reject notification requests at any time.

Note: Class Absence Notifications cannot be used to request accommodations or class Zoom options. On-going circumstances persisting beyond two weeks such as chronic health or mental health concerns should be addressed through the Office of Disability Resources.

Case Management