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Student Attendance Operating Procedure 314.01

Student Attendance Operating Procedure 314.01
Johnson County Community College
Series: 300 Students
Section: Academic Policies

Cross-Reference: Student Attendance Policy 314.01

Applicability: This Operating Procedure applies to all Johnson County Community College (“JCCC” or the “College”) students enrolled in credit courses.

Purpose: The purpose of this Operating Procedure is to describe College processes that support the Student Attendance Policy 314.01.

Procedures:

I. Excessive Absences

Absences that exceed the JCCC faculty established attendance standards stated in the course syllabus are considered excessive absences. Excessive absences may result in reduction of grade, drop for non-attendance, an Excessive Absence Alert, or faculty-initiated withdrawal of the student from a course pursuant to the procedures set forth below.

A. Administrative Drop for Non-Attendance

By the end of the first calendar week that a course meets or the prorated equivalent for courses less than seven weeks in length as shown below, students who have not attended at least one session or, for online courses, completed at least one assignment will be administratively dropped from that course with full reimbursement or forgiveness of tuition and fees.

  • 7-week or longer courses —must attend at least once in the first calendar week that the class meets
  • 4- to 6- week courses —must attend at least once in the first three calendar days of the week the course begins or, if the course is not scheduled to meet in the first three calendar days of the week, must attend the first day of class
  • 3-week or shorter courses —must attend the first day of class
  • online courses — students enrolled in distance learning (online) courses will be administratively dropped, with full reimbursement or forgiveness of tuition and fees, if they do not fulfill the initial attendance/assignment requirements, established by the faculty member in the course syllabus, by the end of the first calendar week that a course begins or the prorated equivalent for courses less than seven weeks as shown above

B. Student-Initiated Withdrawal for Excessive Course Absence

It is the responsibility of the student to regularly attend and participate in all scheduled classes. If a student has exceeded the absences stated in the attendance guidelines of the course syllabus, the student may withdraw from that course prior to the withdrawal deadline (“drop deadline”) published on the College website. If the student does not withdraw by the drop deadline, the student will receive a grade in the course determined in accordance with the grading terms stated in the course syllabus.

C. Faculty-Initiated Withdrawal for Excessive Course Absence 

Following the administrative drop for non-attendance period of each semester (see Section I.A above), a faculty member may choose to withdraw a student whose absences have exceeded the attendance guidelines stated in the course syllabus. Students with excessive absences should not assume that a faculty member will initiate this optional process and students should instead initiate a withdrawal prior to the drop deadline. There is no reimbursement or forgiveness of tuition and fees for a course after a faculty-initiated withdrawal. The student is responsible for all financial and academic consequences of any withdrawal.

A faculty member should establish in the course syllabus what is considered to be excessive absence or lack of attendance and participation in an online course. A faculty member may choose to initiate the Withdrawal for Excessive Course Absence action if the minimum course objectives, as specified in the course syllabus, cannot be met due to the student’s excessive absences or lack of attendance and participation in online courses. A faculty-initiated withdrawal may be taken only after the faculty member has notified the student through the Excessive Absence Alert procedure that excessive absence has potentially placed the student in academic jeopardy. A faculty-initiated withdrawal will be recorded in the student’s record in accordance with the published drop deadlines and the Grading System Policy 314.04. The student may also be withdrawn from other scheduled courses if the withdrawn course is a required course. The last date allowed each semester for a faculty-initiated withdrawal shall be the same as the last date allowed for a student-initiated withdrawal.

A student wishing to file a complaint about a faculty-initiated withdrawal should use the process outlined in Student Complaints Policy 319.04.

D. Excessive Absence Alert

The Excessive Absence Alert is intended to serve as advance notice to a student of a faculty member’s intent to withdraw the student from a course for excessive absence. A faculty member who opts to pursue the faculty-initiated withdrawal process will provide the Excessive Absence Alert to the student in a timely manner so there is reasonable opportunity to resolve the attendance issue before proceeding with the faculty-initiated withdrawal.

The Excessive Absence Alert shall consist of a written notice from the faculty member to the student advising the student that the student’s excessive absence has placed the student in academic jeopardy. The notice shall further state that the student may be withdrawn from the class as per course syllabus guidelines if satisfactory arrangements for the student’s regular class attendance cannot be made with the faculty member. Such written notice shall be provided to the student via email to the student’s College-provided email account and shall constitute adequate notice to the student. Students are responsible for monitoring their College-provided email accounts.

II. Authorized Absences

Students who will be absent from class because of jury duty, a court subpoena, a religious observance requiring accommodation, or activities where they are required to represent the College must give at least a one-week advance written notice of the upcoming absence to the faculty member. Students shall be accorded the opportunity to independently complete course work or work of equal value for the authorized day(s) of absence, and/or to take a scheduled exam at an alternate time determined by the faculty member. Failure to provide the one-week advance written notice of the authorized absence may result in loss of the opportunity. Authorized absences will not be counted toward excessive absences.

Students called to active military duty will be allowed readmission to continue their program of study after their service is complete. Such students should give advance written or verbal notice of the upcoming absence to the faculty member and program chair. When re-applying to the program, the students should inform the program chair that they are returning from active military service.

For all other absences, authorization of the absence is within the discretion of the individual faculty member.

III. Consequences of Excessive Absences

Administrative drop for non-attendance, student-initiated withdrawal, or faculty-initiated withdrawal from a course may negatively impact a student in areas including, but not limited to, current or future financial aid, athletics eligibility, international student visa status, and enrollment in other courses. Students receiving benefits from a governmental agency or receiving a private scholarship must follow any policies and procedures stipulated by the specific agency or scholarship provider.

IV. Interpretations

The Vice President of Student Success and Engagement will be responsible for interpreting the Student Attendance Policy 314.01 and this Operating Procedure.

Signature on File in Policy Office

President

Date of Adoption: 05/24/2011
Revised: 02/18/2016, 08/01/2017, 10/16/2018, 02/21/2019, 11/20/2025