Attendance Policy

The official Palomar College's policy:

The primary responsibility for class attendance and maintaining an accurate registration record rests with the student. Consequently, each student is responsible for adding or dropping of courses to the student's schedule of classes.

The primary responsibility for maintaining accurate and proper accountability records (for State apportionment requirements) rests with the instructor and the Records Office. As such, the instructor:

Must drop any student identified as a "no show" (students registered who have never attended class) by reporting these students on the first census drop roster or online through Faculty eServices.

May elect to drop a student for excessive absences (defined as more than the number of times the class is scheduled to meet per week).


The official departmental policy (to be included in every syllabus every semester):

ATTENDANCE POLICY

You may be dropped from class for the following reasons:

You may also lose your priority registration if you have excessive unexcused absences. [Note that this is a new addition starting spring 2006 semester.]

Our corresponding attendance accounting and drop procedures:

  1. A student should not be accepted in a class if his/her name does not appear on the class roster. The instructor should immediately refer such a student to the office for research and assistance.
  2. A student whose name does not appear on the roster should verify that he or she completed registration in the class. Late-admit students, reinstated students, and students changing from another class should submit their pink late-admit form to their instructor, who is responsible for signing somewhere on such a pink late-admit slip and returning the slip to the office ASAP.
  3. Since we generally have a long waiting list for our classes, it is a shame for someone to take up a space in a class if he/she does not intend to complete the course work while someone else is waiting to get in. Therefore, anyone who does not show up for class for the whole first week will be dropped.
  4. Since regular attendance and active participation are required of all students, those absent because of illness or other reasons are expected to keep up with the material covered in class.
  5. Students with excessive absences (defined as more than the number of times the class is scheduled to meet per week) may be dropped from the course. This kind of "excessive absences" drop may continue throughout the semester for CNED students and up to the drop deadline for credit students.
  6. After the drop deadline, credit students who simply stop coming to class may receive an "F."
  7. If, after being dropped from a class, a student desires to be reinstated, he/she must be placed at the end of any existing wait list for the class. However, such reinstatement is possible only through week two of the semester for credit students and only through week five for CNED students.
  8. Students who have an excellent attendance record have the opportunity to receive on the last day of the semester certificates for perfect or near-perfect attendance.