Attendance Policy

General Principles

• Students are expected to attend and participate in classes.
• Advance notice of attendance policies of academic units and individual instructors should be given, and such notice should be in writing.
• Students should notify instructors of excused absences in advance, where possible.
• Students who have an excused absence are expected to make arrangements with instructors for alternative or make-up work. Such arrangements should be made in advance of the absence, where possible.
• Instructors should accommodate excused absences to the extent that an accommodation can be made that does not unreasonably interfere with the learning objectives of the course or unduly burden the instructor.
• Attendance policies shall be applied in a non-discriminatory manner.

The Policy

If neither the academic unit nor the instructor has adopted an attendance policy, or if proper advance notice of the attendance policy was not given, the UMKC general attendance policy will govern. The general attendance policy is that students shall not be penalized for excused absences. "Excused absences" include absences due to illness of the student, illness of an immediate family member for whom the student must care, death of an immediate family member, religious observance (where the nature of the observance prevents the student from being present during class), representation of UMKC in an official capacity, and other compelling circumstances beyond the student's control. Students seeking an excused absence must provide documentation upon request to substantiate the excuse. Students with excused absences shall undertake appropriate make-up or alternative work to be provided by instructors of the courses in which excused absences were incurred.

Complaints concerning the application of an attendance policy or an instructor's attendance policy should be raised with the Department Chair of the instructor, or with the Dean if there is no Department Chair or the instructor is the Department Chair. If the student or instructor is not satisfied with the resolution of the complaint, the matter may be appealed to the Dean and to the Division of Academic Affairs. Complaints concerning the adoption or modification of an attendance policy by an academic unit should be raised with the Division of Academic Affairs. Complaints are to be promptly addressed at each level of review.

This policy was approved July, 2002 and effective Fall, 2002.