Skagit Valley College

Absence due to Faith or Conscience

SVC Student Request for Absence due to Faith or Conscience

Per RCW 28B.10.039 (resulting from 2019 Substitute Senate Bill 5166).

Skagit Valley College will grant reasonable accommodation so that grades are not impacted for students who are absent for reasons of faith or conscience, or for an organized activity conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or religious organization. Such absences must be requested in writing within the first two weeks of the quarter and may not incur additional fees for students.

Students' grades may not be adversely impacted by absences authorized under this policy.

Each holiday taken under this policy must be taken as a whole day, i.e. the day may not be divided into hours and taken piecemeal.

Students who have concerns about approval or a grade impact may utilize the student grievance procedure for concerns not directly related to grades, or to the grade appeal process in cases impacting a final grade. 

PROCEDURE

  1. Students must coordinate an absence with the Office of the Vice President of Instruction within the first two weeks of the quarter. All requests for authorized absences under this policy must be in writing and contain a concise explanation of how the requested holiday is related to a reason of faith or conscience or an organized activity conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or religious organization. 
  2. All absences under this policy must be authorized by the Office of the Vice President of Instruction in advance of the absence. The college will not authorize an absence for a student after the absence occurs without compelling circumstances.
  3. The Office of the Vice President of Instruction will provide the student with a document verifying the date of the authorized absence and further instructions. In order to ensure that their absence does not negatively affect their grades, the student must comply with directions for notifying their instructors of their upcoming authorized absence. The student is solely responsible for ensuring the documentation authorizing the absence is provided to each of the instructors whose classes or assignments will be affected by the absence.
  4. After an instructor is notified by the student of an upcoming absence, the instructor will determine what adjustments, if any, will need to be made to the student's scheduled classwork or assignments. The instructor shall inform the student of these adjustments within two business days of receiving the student's notification. "Business Day" means a weekday, excluding weekends and college holidays.
  5. If the student's desired absence date is on a day when a test was scheduled or an assignment was due, the instructor may require that the student take the test or submit the assignment before or after the regularly assigned date.
  6. Regardless of an instructor’s class expectations or grading policies, absences authorized under this policy shall not adversely impact a student’s grade 
  7. If a student fails to notify any of their instructors of an authorized absence (as directed by the Office of the Vice President of Instruction), the instructor is not obligated to make any accommodations for the student's absence or treat the absence as authorized under this policy or the law.

SVC Student Request Form for Absence due to Faith or Conscience