Student Attendance
Regular class attendance is a student obligation and essential to receiving maximum benefit from the educational experience. The student is expected to attend and be on time for all classes and lab, shop, and/or clinic sessions. The student is also responsible for all work including tests and written assignments, and for all class meetings.
Class Attendance
Regular class attendance is a student obligation. The student is also responsible for all work, including tests and written assignments, and for all class meetings. No right or privilege exists that permits a student to be absent from any given number of class meetings.
Instructors establish their own class attendance policy. This attendance policy is explained in detail at the first class meeting and includes the relationship of absences to grades.
Students who stop going to class without officially withdrawing may receive a grade of “F” at the end of the semester.
School Absence for Religious Reasons
Isothermal Community College recognizes the right of students to be absent from class for religious reasons. Students may request a maximum of two excused class days per academic year for observations required by the student’s faith. In accordance with this right, the president will establish procedures for requesting documentation and excusing religious absences.
School Absence for Title IX Reasons
Isothermal Community College recognizes the rights of students to be tardy or absent due to conditions covered under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits a school from discriminating against a student based on “student’s pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery from any of these conditions” (reference 34 C.F.R. § 106.40(b)(1). Requests for accommodations are the responsibility of the student and must be submitted through the College’s Office of Accessibility.
School Absence for Military Service
Any student who is in the United States Armed Forces who has received temporary or permanent reassignment as a result of military operations, or any student who is a National Guard service member placed onto State active duty status during an academic term, shall be granted an excused absence for the period of time the student is on active duty. Requests for excused absences are the responsibility of the student and must be submitted to the dean of students/dean of continuing education prior to the period of the absence. The College will work with the student to determine the student’s best options for course continuation or discontinuance (reference 1B SBCCC 500.1).
Class Entry Prior to the Census Date
Students enrolled in any course regardless of delivery method must be in attendance and recorded as present at least one time on or before the census date of the course. Students who fail to attend by the census date will be removed from the class roster and recorded as a No Show (NS). Students removed from a course for failure to enter prior to the census date will not be issued a refund for the course (reference1E SBCCC 900.1).
Students receiving financial aid should consult with a financial aid counselor to determine the impact of the NS designation on their financial aid eligibility and obligations.
Students enrolled in online courses must complete the Mandatory Course Enrollment Assignment by the census date. This requirement has been implemented by the institution in an effort to comply with Financial Aid regulations.
In a distance learning education context, documenting that a student has logged into an online course is not sufficient, by itself, to demonstrate academic attendance by the student. A school must demonstrate that a student participated in class or was otherwise engaged in an academically related activity, such as contributing to an online discussion or initiating contact with a faculty member to ask course-related question (Federal Student Aid Handbook 2013-2014. Volume 5, 5-60).
Failure to complete the Mandatory Course Enrollment Assignment could result in receiving a grade of NS for the course and may not receive a refund. Students enrolled in a hybrid or web-assisted course must enter the course prior to the census date either by attending the class during the scheduled face-to-face session or by completing a Mandatory Course Enrollment Assignment.
Curriculum Late Course Entry, Late Registration and Schedule Adjustments
In support of the College’s focus on learning, the College ensures that students have an opportunity to be academically successful in each course. The faculty and academic administrators are in the best position to make decisions concerning students’ ability to complete coursework within an allotted time. Therefore, students generally will not be allowed to add/change sections after the schedule adjustments deadline listed in the Academic Calendar. In addition, a student will not be allowed to enter a course past the census date regardless of registration status. Exceptions to this may be granted by the appropriate dean or vice president of academic and student services.
Students may officially drop a course(s) without academic penalty and receive a grade of ‘W’ if this drop is made before the drop deadline as published in the academic calendar. Courses that meet on a schedule other than a 16-week semester may have a different drop deadline than the published deadline.
Following the schedule adjustment period, a student may formally withdraw from a class or the College by completing a withdrawal form which can be obtained from the Records Office or any academic department. The student should notify the course instructor(s) of his/her withdrawal and must meet with his/her advisor or academic dean before withdrawing.
Any individual course dropped after the published deadline must be approved by the vice president of academic and student services. The drop/add and drop deadlines are different for academic development and other classes that have non-standard beginning and ending dates.
Administrative Withdrawal
An instructor, in consultation with the appropriate academic dean/director, may administratively withdraw any student whose cumulative absences exceed 20% of the scheduled class hours for the semester. The withdrawal must be made by the drop deadline published in the academic calendar. The student will receive a grade of W#.
In case of extenuating circumstances, a student who has been withdrawn from a course for excessive absences may be re-admitted to course with the permission of the instructor and the appropriate dean/director. The instructor and/or department dean or director must notify the Records Office in writing requesting readmission.
Policy Number: 401-02-01BP
Legal Reference:
1E SBCCC 900.1 curriculum Tuition Refunds; Federal Student Aid Handbook 2013-2014, Volume 5, 5-60
Combined Policy History: Class Attendance Policy: May 22, 1991; June 20, 2006; School Absence for Religious Reasons: August 24, 2010; Curriculum Late Course Entry, Late Registration and Schedule Adjustments: July 20, 2006; January 28, 2009; Administrative Withdrawal: June 1, 2011
Reference: 1E SBCCC 900.1 curriculum Tuition Refunds; Federal Student Aid Handbook 2013-2014, Volume 5, 5-60
Adopted: September 30, 2014
Reviewed: Combined Policy History: Class Attendance Policy: May 22, 1991; June 20, 2006; School Absence for Religious Reasons: August 24, 2010; Curriculum Late Course Entry, Late Registration and Schedule Adjustments: July 20, 2006; January 28, 2009; Administrative Withdrawal: June 1, 2011
Amended: July 5, 2018