Student Religious Accommodation Procedure

In compliance with N. C. G.S. §115d-5(u) Surry Community College will grant any student of the College two excused absences each academic year for religious and non-religious observances in accordance with the following regulations:

1. An academic year is defined as beginning on July 1 of one year and ending on June 30 of the following year.
2. The two excused absences may be taken at any time during the academic year either on separate days or on two consecutive days.
3. The student must complete a Request for Excused Absence for Religious or Non-Religious Observance. 
4. Present the Request for Excused Absence for Religious or Non-Religious Observance Form to the instructor of each course affected by this absence. The request form must be submitted to the instructor within the first ten calendar days after the first day of the affected class.
5. The instructor and the student should discuss what a reasonable accommodation should include in all given cases.  At a minimum, reasonable accommodations must provide that the student who is absent on days of examinations or class assignments due to a religious observance will have an opportunity to make up the work, without penalty, unless granting the make-up opportunity would create undue hardship. If the instructor and student agree upon a reasonable accommodation, the accommodation is then documented and shall be implemented.
6. The student must take an instructor-signed copy of the form to Student Services to be reviewed by the Vice President of Student Services.
7. If the Vice President of Student Services grants the excused absence for the purpose of religious or non-religious observance, students shall be given the opportunity to make up any work or tests missed during an excused absence.
8. The absences will count toward the total number of absences allowed per individual instructor syllabi. Excused absences from classes or examinations for religious observances will not be counted against any mandatory attendance requirements, but they do not relieve students from responsibility for any part of the course work required during the period of absence.  The instructor may appropriately respond if the student fails to satisfactorily complete any alternative assignment or examination.
9. Instructors are prohibited from implementing sanctions, including requiring additional work, toward students who are duly granted excused absences for a religious or non-religious observance. 
10. For the purposes herein, a day of religious or non-religious observance means an observance that is part of a sincerely-held religious or non-religious belief that the student would otherwise be able to attend but for having to attend class.
11. Students who misrepresent facts in connection with the request are subject to disciplinary action.
12. If the instructor denies the student request for a reasonable accommodation, or only agrees to provide an accommodation that is unsatisfactory to the student, the student and the instructor will meet with the Vice President of Instruction. If the parties cannot reach a consensus, the student may file a written grievance directly to the Vice President of Instruction within five calendar days after the meeting with the Division Chair/Director. The Vice President of Instruction shall meet with the student and instructor to hear from all parties regarding the student’s requested accommodations and make a written determination regarding the student’s request. The student may appeal the Vice President of Instruction’s decision to the Chief Academic Officer within five (5) calendar days of receipt of the Vice President of Instruction’s written determination. The Chief Academic Officer will conduct an “on the record” review and, at the Chief Academic Officer’s discretion, hear from the parties. The Chief Academic Officer will render a final decision. Where a timely request is made by the student but denied by the instructor, the grievance process shall be expedited as much as reasonably possible to ensure that a student pursuing a religious accommodation is not unduly disadvantaged by the passage of time. 

Approved by the Board of Trustees, September 12, 2011
Amended November 13, 2023