ºÚÁÏÍø

Policy 2.3 - Absence from Class including Weather and Faculty Sick Days

BLACK HILLS STATE UNIVERSITY

Policy and Procedure Manual 

SUBJECT: Faculty Absence from Class

NUMBER: 2:3

Office: Office of Academic Affairs 

Source: ºÚÁÏÍø Faculty Handbook; ºÚÁÏÍø Policy 6:12 Emergency Campus Closures;

Purpose

This policy sets forth the process for faculty absence from class for ºÚÁÏÍø faculty.

Policy

1. Faculty members are expected to meet with their classes during all scheduled days and times. It is not permissible for faculty members to cancel classes, to extend university breaks, or to cancel scheduled class days prior to or immediately following a holiday.
2. University or Conference Travel: In those situations when faculty members must travel at the request of the university or to attend conferences, they must inform their school chair and the college office of their absence from class at least a week prior to traveling. They must also arrange for alternative learning experiences for their students in any affected class meetings (see examples below in the Procedure section of this policy).

3. Weather-Related Cancellations: Only designated university administrators have the authority to issue class cancellations due to inclement weather, with official notifications delivered via the emergency alert system, phone, email, and text message. Faculty members may not make independent decisions about cancelling classes due to weather. In those situations when classes remain in session, but a faculty member is unable to travel to the Spearfish or Rapid City campus to teach his or her courses, the faculty member must consult with the school chair about options (see examples below in the Procedure section of this policy).

   Absence from Class/Faculty Sick Days Policy Page 1 of 3

4. Absence Due to Illness: Faculty members will occasionally miss their scheduled class meetings due to illness. In cases of sudden illness, they must make every effort to notify students and their college office of class cancellations as soon as possible. In cases of extended illness, faculty members must work with their school chair to arrange substitute instructors or alternative learning experiences for their students. The creation of alternative learning experiences and instructional material for students is expected but faculty members who are absent due to illness are still required to submit a sick leave request, per HR policy.
5. Absence Due to immediate family obligations related to health or illness: Faculty members will occasionally miss their scheduled class meetings due to immediate family obligations [like death of an immediate family member or taking care of an immediate family member until an alternative care program/facility is available]. In cases of immediate family illness or death, the faculty member must make every effort to notify students and their college office of class cancellations as soon as possible. In cases of extended absence due to family obligations, faculty members must work with their school chair to arrange substitute instructors or alternative learning experiences for their students. This should be consistent with the guidelines provided by FMLA.

6. Significant Personal Obligations and Commitments: When a faculty member anticipates an absence arising from a personal obligation that does not fall within the categories of illness, immediate family obligations, approved university travel, or weather-related closures, the faculty member shall provide notification to the school chair at the earliest practicable time after becoming aware of the need for such absence. The notification shall include the anticipated date(s) of absence and a succinct description of the underlying personal circumstance, in sufficient detail to permit the academic leadership to make an informed determination regarding the appropriate classification of the request.

   The provost, in consultation with the college dean and school chair where appropriate, shall determine whether the circumstance constitutes a significant personal obligation warranting short-term leave. In making this determination, the chair shall take into account the following: (a) the seriousness of the stated circumstance; (b) the faculty member’s prior absences within the current academic term; and (c) the potential impact of the absence on instructional continuity and student learning outcomes. The purpose of this policy is to ensure the orderly administration of academic responsibilities while recognizing that faculty members may, on occasion, face personal exigencies requiring temporary relief from scheduled duties.

   Should the faculty member’s stated circumstance appear to fall within an established Human Resources leave category, the school chair shall direct the faculty member to consult with Human Resources for proper classification and processing pursuant to applicable institutional policies and governing regulations.

7. Academic Affairs has the responsibility and discretion to manage the process of tracking and approving faculty members’ absences from their classes.

Procedure

1. University or Conference Travel: In the event of any planned travel, faculty members must notify their school chair and the college secretary at least a week prior to their absence from campus. Additionally, faculty members must arrange for alternative learning experiences for their students in any class meeting affected by their absence. These alternatives may include, but are not limited to, substitute instructors, class activities on D2L, resource sessions with library staff for class assignments, group projects, attending relevant guest lectures or similar events on campus, or peer-review sessions on writing assignments. Cancelling classes outright must be a last resort and requires the approval of the college dean.  The college office is responsible for posting the notice of all class cancellations.
2. Weather-Related Cancellations: If classes are in session, but a faculty member is unable to reach the Spearfish or Rapid City campus to teach their classes in person, the faculty member must communicate with the school chair about possible alternative arrangements. The faculty member must make every effort to conduct their classes remotely via D2L or Zoom or communicate an alternative learning experience to the students. Only if these options prove impractical may the college dean approve cancellation of the faculty members’ classes. For class cancellations at the Spearfish campus, the college office will post notice of the cancellations at the respective classrooms.  For class cancellations at the Rapid City campus, the school chair or college dean will communicate with ºÚÁÏÍø-RC at (605) 718-4073. Staff at ºÚÁÏÍø-RC will post a notification on the classroom door(s). Should dangerous weather occur late in the day, and the dean or chair are not available, evening-teaching faculty have the authority to move students online, being mindful of certain program’s required face-to-face hours.

3. Illness or Family Obligations Related to Health or Illness: Faculty members who are temporarily unable to attend scheduled in-person class meetings due to minor illness but are nonetheless capable of fulfilling their instructional duties may conduct their classes remotely through D2L, Zoom, or other institutionally approved platforms. The faculty member shall notify their school chair, the college secretary, and enrolled students at the earliest practicable time, ideally prior to 8:00 a.m. This arrangement is intended solely for infrequent, short-duration circumstances and shall not require the use of sick leave.

   If a faculty member is too ill to teach, they must notify their school chair and the college secretary as soon as possible—ideally before 8:00 a.m.—to cancel class due to a sudden illness. The college office is responsible for posting the notice of class cancellation. The faculty member must submit a leave request through the electronic leave request system upon return to work and prior to submitting the leave report for the pay period in which the leave was utilized.

   Faculty members who expect to miss more than a day of classes due to an extended illness or family obligation must communicate with their school chair and arrange alternative learning experiences for their students. These alternatives may include, but are not limited to, substitute instructors, D2L class activities, resource sessions with library staff for class assignments, group projects, attending relevant guest lectures or similar events on campus, or peer-review sessions on writing assignments. Cancelling classes outright must be a last resort and requires the approval of the college dean. The college office is responsible for posting the notice of all class cancellations or announcements of a substitute instructor in case of extended leave.

4. Significant Personal Obligations; Faculty members who expect to miss a day or more of class must communicate with their school chair and arrange alternative learning experiences for their students. These alternatives may include, but are not limited to, substitute instructors, D2L class activities, resource sessions with library staff for class assignments, group projects, attending relevant guest lectures or similar events on campus, or peer-review sessions on writing assignments. Cancelling classes outright must be a last resort and requires express approval of the college dean. The college office is responsible for posting the notice of all class cancellations or announcement of substitute instructors in case of extended leave.

   If the absence has been approved by the provost as meeting the criteria for significant personal obligation, the creation and dissemination of instructional materials for students shall be deemed permissible instructional activity and shall constitute interaction with the University; accordingly, such activity does not require the use of leave.

   If the absence is for vacation, elective travel, or personal activities that do not meet the criteria for significant personal obligation, the faculty member must request leave without pay. In such cases, leave without pay applies to all working days during the faculty member’s absence, not only scheduled class hours. A faculty member who elects to take leave without pay shall have their absence noted in their next annual performance review.

Responsible Administrator

The Vice President for Academic Affairs, or designee, is responsible for the annual and ad hoc review of this policy. The University President is responsible for approval of this policy.

Source and Revision History

SOURCE: Adopted by President 5/4/2020; revised/approved 2023.10.30; revised 2026.10.14-Absence from Class/Faculty Sick Days Policy Page 3 of 3