Overview
A student may request faculty notification for a documented absence of 3 days or more due to:
- Personal prolonged illness or injury
- Life-threatening or serious illness or injury of an immediate family member
- Death of an immediate family member
- Emergency work as defined in the Volunteer Emergency Worker Job Protection Act*
- Compliance with a valid subpoena, jury duty, or other legal matters such as citizenship or naturalization processes
- Significant and compelling circumstances beyond a student’s control such as an act of nature that destroys a student’s primary residence.
Absence notification is not provided in advance or during an absence and requests must be made within 10 business days after a student has returned to classes.
Absence notification is intended to provide faculty with verified information that they may use to determine whether or not to excuse the absence and/or permit late or make-up work. Absence notification neither guarantees that the absence will be excused nor ensures that late or make-up work will be permitted. This authority rests solely with individual instructors.
Definitions
An immediate family member is a parent, including step or in-law, legal guardian, spouse/partner, sibling, child/dependent, grandparent, grandchild, or any other individual living in the student’s household at the time of the individual’s illness, injury, or death.
Supporting Documentation
Requests for absence notification must be supported by official documentation, such as a:
- Letter on the treating healthcare provider’s letterhead documenting treatment dates for the illness or injury
- Death certificate, funeral program, and/or obituary with the deceased individual’s name, date of death, and funeral service contact information
- Official and/or notarized forms, documents, or correspondence from a state agency or governmental entity
- Other documentation from a licensed social worker, case manager, counselor, or spiritual leader.
All documentation is subject to verification by the Office of the Dean of Students. Students who misrepresent or submit false documentation may be subject to disciplinary action per the Student Code of Conduct. To request a Student Absence Notification from Faculty, apply at: www.govst.edu/absence.
Religious Observances and Other Accommodations
For information regarding absences due to religious
observations, please review Policy 38
Reasonable Accommodation for Students’ Religious Observances. Students with chronic health conditions and/or disabilities
that may affect their class attendance should register with Access Services for Students
with Disabilities (ASSD). A student may request an emergency or medical leave when extraordinary circumstances, such as a serious illness, injury,
hospitalization, or military deployment prevent the student from continuing classes. The severity or duration of the problem must be such that it would not be reasonable to expect the student to be able to make up the missed
work.
*State law requires that all instructors reasonably
accommodate conflicts with class attendance and work requirements resulting
from a student serving as a volunteer emergency worker under the Volunteer
Emergency Worker Job Protection Act.