For those students who experience unpredictable or cyclical acute episodes, DSS acknowledges that there may need to be considerations made regarding attendance. Any consideration regarding attendance is designed to support a limited amount of additional absences due to disability-related reasons. This would not account for absences due to personal matters or illnesses, not related to the student’s disability.
According to the University’s Bulletin, LMU’s policy regarding attendance reads as follows: Class attendance expectations and consequences for absences from class are left to the discretion of individual instructors and shall be announced by the faculty member at the first class meeting or listed on the class syllabus. Students are accountable for all course assignments, whether or not the assignments were announced during an absence.
As it is within the faculty’s discretion to establish attendance expectations for the class, students with attendance consideration are encouraged to notify their faculty as early in the semester as possible. Students are encouraged to work with faculty to establish a clear and shared understanding of how attendance may impact a student’s ability to meet course requirements and how many additional absences may be allowed. If students would like DSS to contact their faculty to disclose their disability and how it may impact their attendance, they will need to sign a release of information form.
Important Notes:
- Accommodations are not retroactive. Faculty are not expected to make exceptions for absences that occurred prior to receiving notification from DSS of the need for attendance consideration.
- Accommodations for attendance are intended to support a limited amount of absences for disability-related reasons. Students who believe they will need to miss a substantial amount of classes should speak with DSS to discuss alternative accommodations such as a reduced course load, priority registration to create a balanced schedule, or improved study skills from the Katz Family Learning Skills Program.
- It is the student’s responsibility to obtain any materials or notes from missed classes.
- Students are expected to notify faculty in advance of any absence, or as soon as possible in the case of any emergencies.
- Although accommodations may be made for attendance, absences may have a negative impact on a student’s performance due to any conversational or experiential learning missed when not in class.