Missing work due to religious reasons

[downer]

Does your school require students who miss work due to religious reasons
A. to make a declaration of their religion to the school?
B. to make arrangements with the professor about when to do the make up work BEFORE the religious holiday, or within some specified time period after the holiday?

My school doesn't. It is rather inconvenient having to sort things out at the end of the semester, even after final grades have been submitted. Fortunately, it isn't a big problem. So far. I do wonder if students might start to take advantage of such an open policy.

[Langue_doc]

Students need to let you know well in advance that they won't be able to submit assignments on certain dates or days of the week. Assignments for my courses are usually due on Fridays by 5 PM or Sundays by midnight (assignments are submitted online) which helps students who observe the sabbath on Saturdays. If you have a sentence about your religious exemption policy in your syllabus, you shouldn't have problems with students taking unfair advantage of exemptions. We aren't allowed to ask for proof.

[downer]

I'm not sure whether requiring students to arrange alteratives to due dates for religious reasons is compatible with my school's policy.

I did check with the dept chair about a student who asked to be able to make up missed work after final grades were submitted, and the chair said yes, allow it.

[apl68]

The only time I ever missed significant classes when I was an undergrad was when I took out two weeks early one November to go on a short-term mission trip.  It was not school-sponsored, but it was a church-supported school, and my profs were all understanding.  I let them know about the plans before time, and managed my work accordingly that semester to get everything done.  As I recall, it was all done informally through the individual instructors.  I didn't have to seek any special permissions.

[Puget]

We have an extensive policy. It focuses on missing classes, not extensions on assignments -- students are expected to plan ahead to complete assignments working around their observances (instructors are responsible for making sure they have enough warning and lead time to do so). Certainly the policy would not allow making up any work after the semester has ended!

1. Students are expected to review each course syllabus at the beginning of each term and inform instructors within the first two weeks of class if there are any potential conflicts due to religious observance. It is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor of these conflicts within the first two weeks of the semester. Students who miss class will be required to complete any work that is missed, and they may be required to submit additional assignments to make up for the missed class time.

2. Should a student need to miss class for religious reasons, the absence should be excused. Classes missed for travel plans are not considered excused absences. Only the dates of the holidays themselves are considered excused absences.

3. Students must be informed of any exams or due dates that fall on a date immediately after a religious holiday at least two weeks prior to such dates.

4. If classes will be missed, students must consult with their instructors and agree upon a plan to make up any excused absences. Such plans should be in writing and available to both parties.

[lightning]

I'm not sure whether requiring students to arrange alteratives to due dates for religious reasons is compatible with my school's policy.

I did check with the dept chair about a student who asked to be able to make up missed work after final grades were submitted, and the chair said yes, allow it.

In absence of an official & published school policy, you can dictate terms of accommodating religious exemptions. It's a lot easier if it's specified on a syllabus. When in doubt, put it in your syllabus. Surely, you have some kind of general make-up policy for absences, missed work, missed deadlines, etc. . . . ?

As for the Chair letting someone make up work after a faculty member has submitted grades, that's not the chair's call. That's the faculty member's call. If a Chair wanted to do that at my place, there would be a hearing process first, via a formal grade appeal by the student, and by then a flake student wouldn't show up anyway, and the grade would stand (This is separate from any complaints about the chair's violation of governance, which if a professor is bored enough, would pursue that, too).

[downer]

To be fair to my chair, I just asked for their opinion. The chair was not telling me what to do.

Up to now, no student had tried to pull this one on me. I try not to anticipate problems until they happen.

I require documentation for most medical excuses but documentation doesn't seem to be appropriate here.

I will probably add a new para to my syllabi from now on.

[Langue_doc]

Submitting missed work after grades have been submitted and posted isn't fair to the other students in the class and also to the instructors concerned. Adjuncts would be grading and revising the grade roster on their time as most of them wouldn't be on the payroll after the end of the semester.

[the_geneticist]

We have a very detailed policy here. 

The key points are:
The student is responsible for contacting their instructors and arranging a reasonable plan for how to make up any missing assignments no later than the 1st 2 weeks of class.  We do not ask for which religious holiday/observation/etc. 

And this cannot be retroactive. 


I personally make sure that any due dates or deadlines are either: in class (e.g. turn in your quiz before you leave) or before Friday at 5:00pm.  Nothing is due Friday night-Monday morning.  Partially to be accommodating of religious & family time, but mostly because I don't answer emails on weekends.

[kaysixteen]

Exactly when are the high holydays of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Those desiring to use religious accommodations must needs realize that their god(s), etc., may well be calling them to make, ahem, actual sacrifices for so doing.   Certainly Jesus is  full of statements to this effect in the NT.

[Hibush]

Exactly when are the high holydays of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Those desiring to use religious accommodations must needs realize that their god(s), etc., may well be calling them to make, ahem, actual sacrifices for so doing.   Certainly Jesus is  full of statements to this effect in the NT.

My school has the same policy as Puget's. It is completely agnostic as to faith, so it would treat Pastafarian holidays the same as the more familiar Catholic ones. We just don't ask (nor do we read doctor's notes). The spirituality office sends out a long list of religious holidays in case we want to be prepared. I think most faculty just see that the list is long and trying to schedule around them is futile.

[apl68]

The spirituality office sends out a long list of religious holidays in case we want to be prepared. I think most faculty just see that the list is long and trying to schedule around them is futile.

Your institution has a "spirituality office?"  The faculty's attitude to their no doubt well-meaning list of religious holidays is probably pretty typical of the response to a lot of what these sorts of offices put out. 

[Hibush]

The spirituality office sends out a long list of religious holidays in case we want to be prepared. I think most faculty just see that the list is long and trying to schedule around them is futile.

Your institution has a "spirituality office?"  The faculty's attitude to their no doubt well-meaning list of religious holidays is probably pretty typical of the response to a lot of what these sorts of offices put out. 

The full name would reinforce your impression. The name used to have the word "religion" in it. Perhaps in the distant past that was the full name. There is a staff of about three dozen chaplains who have rather conventional chaplain responsibilities. They report to the Dean of Students.

[apl68]

The spirituality office sends out a long list of religious holidays in case we want to be prepared. I think most faculty just see that the list is long and trying to schedule around them is futile.

Your institution has a "spirituality office?"  The faculty's attitude to their no doubt well-meaning list of religious holidays is probably pretty typical of the response to a lot of what these sorts of offices put out. 

The full name would reinforce your impression. The name used to have the word "religion" in it. Perhaps in the distant past that was the full name. There is a staff of about three dozen chaplains who have rather conventional chaplain responsibilities. They report to the Dean of Students.

Three dozen chaplains!  Must be a large institution.  We had only one at Alma Mater.  It was a church-supported SLAC, so he was the official chaplain.  Quite a young family man at that time.  There was lots of in-house speaking and musical talent among faculty and students for the required weekly chapel services and daily optional noonday meetings.  The chaplain was active on campus, but I don't recall him addressing assemblies that often.

[kaysixteen]

I confess I too would be most interested to learn what kind of school has three dozen chaplains, and what, ahem, is the scope of religious affiliation held by this assemblage?