Class attendance is critical for a student to meet the learning objectives in Georgetown College’s courses. Students with or without disabilities are expected to attend class and follow the attendance policy for each class. It is a student’s responsibility to be aware of each course’s attendance policy as outlined in the course syllabus.
However, Georgetown College recognizes that some students, due to the nature of their disability and outside of their control, may have absences beyond the course limits. In these situations, the College will consider an attendance accommodation request. As with all accommodation requests, students must follow the accommodation process as described in the Disability Services webpage and submit documentation that describes the functional limitations and the nexus to the requested accommodation. For students who experience flare-ups due to chronic conditions that may affect their attendance, Disability Services recommends beginning the attendance accommodation process prior to the start of the semester or as soon as possible thereafter, as attendance accommodations are not retroactive.
Attendance accommodations may vary depending on the learning objectives and whether the request would fundamentally change the nature and essential elements of a course. This will be determined in a deliberate process between Disability Services and affected faculty. Due to this, a student may be approved for attendance accommodation in one course, but not in another. When leniency with attendance is pedagogically justifiable, a plan for each course will be developed and expectations communicated with the student.
Absences unrelated to disability are not covered under this agreement. Faculty may consider unrelated absences per their course syllabi.