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 causes destruction to 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; or
- 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 in accordance with the
Student Code of Conduct. To request
a Student Absence Notification to 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, or
hospitalization or military deployment prevents 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.