Attendance Regulations

Attendance is important. Students are expected to attend the first class meeting of each class in which they register. Instructors may drop students who do not attend the first class meeting and give the seat to a student from the waitlist. All students enrolled at Skyline College are expected to be punctual and attend classes regularly. Regular attendance in class and laboratory sessions is an obligation assumed by every student at the time of registration. When a student fails to attend class, he/she/they miss the content of the session, and course continuity is reduced. When failure to attend class places a student’s success in jeopardy, the instructor may drop the student from the class. 

It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw when absences have been excessive. Absence means nonattendance for whatever reason. It is the prerogative of the professor to determine when absences are excessive. Instructors are encouraged to announce to their students at the beginning of the semester their policies regarding excessive absences or tardiness. A guideline used by many professors to determine when absences are excessive is twice the number of clock hours that the class meets during a week, or a pro-rata value designed to relate to shorter than semester length courses or practicum intensive programs. This is strictly a guideline and will vary with each professor depending on the subject matter of the course or laboratory. The professor may drop a student from a course if absences, in the opinion of the professor, have placed the student’s success in jeopardy. 

A student dropped from any class for nonattendance may appeal in writing to the Division Dean within five College calendar days of such a drop if the student thinks the absences should be excused, and reinstatement in class can be justified. . The petition must contain an explanation of the absences, progress in the course to date, and justification for reinstatement. If the absences were due to illness, the petition must include a physician’s written confirmation or a confirmation from the College Health Center. A student submitting a petition may, with the permission of the professor, remain in class until the decision is reached and a recommendation has been made to the professor. In all cases, the decision of the professor is final.