Purpose
This policy provides guidelines for students who need to request academic excuses from the Office of Academic Affairs due to missing a required academic activity.
Requirements
Students may be eligible for an excused absence if they can provide proper evidence for the following circumstances:
• Serious accidents, emergencies, or illnesses make in-person attendance impossible. PHSU reserves the right to consider any other emergency that is not listed here.
• Acute illness (e.g., viruses, infections, or injuries that require urgent care)
• Attend preventive care appointments (e.g., regular checkups and screenings, medical or dental, vaccination, and counseling, among others).
• Medical procedures (scheduled or emergency)
• Treatments for pre-existing medical conditions
• Accidents, death, or hospitalization of the student’s next of kin, like their dependents, spouse, parents, or significant other
• Natural disasters or consequences affecting the living environment outside of the officially declared emergencies
• Military obligations
• Participation in extracurricular activities (previously approved)
• Court or government-ordered appearances
• Religious observances
Students are responsible for all work missed during their excused absence. Schools and Programs will determine alternative remediation methods (e.g., video conferences, assignments, and others at their discretion. Students must notify the corresponding course faculty about their absence. Students are requested to provide all necessary evidence to be considered for an academic excuse for situations that can be anticipated in advance (e.g., military obligations, court or government-ordered appearances, medical procedures, and preventive care appointments).
In the case of preventive care appointments, these should be coordinated whenever possible on dates that do not conflict with exams, laboratories, standardized patient exercises, simulations, clinical activities, or other academic activities requiring physical presence. In the case of illness, emergency, or hospitalization, the student must submit a medical certificate or emergency room paperwork if the latter is an extraordinary situation.
In the case of the death of a student’s next of kin, like a dependent, spouse, parents, or significant other, a death certificate or funeral letter must be submitted. If the hospitalization involves a next of kin, like a dependent, spouse, parents, or significant other, the student must submit the same documents as requested for their case. If signs and symptoms of an illness require quarantine, the student must adhere to quarantine recommendations until the disease is confirmed and the guidelines are met.
The Student Health Service Coordinator will execute and guide the quarantine order through the Office of Student Affairs. For weather conditions (e.g., storm, snow, heavy rain), technology issues (e.g., iClicker problems), or religious observances affecting student participation, students must communicate directly with the School or Program Director/Coordinator. Schools and Programs will follow the PHSU Attendance Policy and all its sections accordingly.
Evidence supporting the request for an academic excuse must be submitted to the Office for Academic Affairs within 48-72 hours of the request. Excuses will be granted for up to five (5) working days, regardless of the person. No more than five (5) excused absences will be given in one term. However, if an excruciating situation requires an excuse above five (5) working days (e.g., 6 to 10 days), a remediation plan developed by the School or Program will be required and approved in a meeting with the Office of Academic Affairs. PHSU reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to update, change, or replace any part of this policy by posting updates and changes to our website. You must check the PHSU (www.psm.edu) website periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to PHSU’s website after posting any change to this policy constitutes acceptance of those changes.
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