Student Absence Notification System
In This Section
Student Absence Notification System
The Student Absence Notification System (SANS) allows students who experience extenuating circumstances and miss class or do submit assignments in on time, to submit a summary of the event and attach supporting documentation to be reviewed by student success staff in the Academic Advising Center (AAC). Once the SANS is processed, AAC staff will notify the student’s faculty, verifying the event occurred, and advocate for alternative arrangements.
How Do I Submit the Sans Form?
It is the responsibility of the student to complete the form. However, a family member may also complete the form in the event the student is unable.
| SANS Form |
Do I Have to Use SANS?
Maybe. SANS notifications are a courtesy and do not excuse the absence or missed work. SANS is designed to help alleviate additional work for faculty and create a more consistent vetting process for these types of situations. Additionally, it provides faculty the ability to provide alternative arrangements in a more fair and consistent manner, reduce student complaints, and be more in line with the best interest of student success.
Students:
Students should contact their instructors first whenever they will experience an absence from class. A processed SANS does not automatically excuse students from classes and/or course requirements.
The ultimate decision regarding absences, missed work, or academic extensions is at the discretion of the instructor.
It is the responsibility of the student to contact the instructors and determine a mutually agreed upon arrangement for missed work. The ultimate decision regarding absences and the resulting influence those absences have on grades or course progression, is at the discretion of the instructor in consideration of policies outlined via course syllabi.
Faculty:
Faculty, we encourage you to communicate with students and clearly state if you will permit makeup work based on the SANS process or not.
What Circumstances are Appropriate for SANS?
Emergency/Extenuating circumstances outside the control of the student. The following list of circumstances are appropriate for submitting SANS request. Documentation is required for all requests at the time of submission. Requests submitted without documentation will be denied.
Health
- Hospitalization
- COVID-19
- Urgent care (Doctor/Primary care)
Personal/Family Event
- Death of a family member
- Interpersonal violence
- Car problems (ie. flat tire, theft, accident, car not starting)
Legal
- Jury Duty
Military Orders
- Military Orders are protected by law and can extend for a lengthy period per the Student Military Leave Policy (AE 7).
- Official military orders placing a student into active-duty status
- Official military orders requiring a student to attend training
For submissions regarding health, personal, and family events, requests can be submitted for a length up to 10 calendar days. Due to the rigor of coursework, it is not very often where we have seen students be successful after missing a significant amount of class time.
Documentation
Documentation is required before Student Absence Request is submitted. Should a student be unable to provide documentation, the Student Success Team will deny the request. Students are welcome to re-submit a Student Absence Request with appropriate documentation. Students are encouraged to connect with faculty if unable to gain documentation for their absence.
Health
Medical documentation may include, but is not limited to:
- Doctor’s note
- Hospital Admission
- Hospital Discharge paperwork
- Emergency Appointment Confirmation
Personal/Family Event
- Death of a family member
- Obituary (online or physical)
- Death Certificate
- Plane Ticket
- If memorial service is out of state/country
- Memorial Service Pamphlet
- Interpersonal violence
- Police Report
- Car problems (ie. flat tire, theft, accident, car not starting)
- Receipt of repair
- Picture of incident
- Police Report
- Insurance Claim Report
Military Orders
The student must provide the Academic Advising Center with a copy of military orders outlining the dates of deployment and any Travel Days. If orders are not available, or the location of a deployment is classified by the Department of Defense, a verifiable letter on unit letterhead with information outlining the dates on which the student will be on active duty and Travel Days, signed by an appropriate officer, shall suffice.
Class Attendance
Instructors may include class attendance as a criterion in determining a student’s final grade in the course if students are informed of the class attendance policy and the impact of attendance on the final grade in the class syllabus.
The instructor’s attendance policy listed in their course syllabus can help determine whether an absence is excused or unexcused. Instructors have the ultimate discretion regarding absences and the resulting influence those absences have on grades or course progression.
Repetitive absences due to any reason can have a significant impact on whether a student is able to complete their semester course load in a timely manner. Should this be a concern, we encourage students to seek additional options:
Life Events and Unanticipated Absences
Events may arise from time to time which are not within the control of the student yet result in a class absence. For those occasions, it is once again highly encouraged for the student to communicate such absences with their instructor first. Whether the absence will be excused is solely up to the instructor’s discretion. The following events are not included in the Student Absence Notification process.
Non-Qualifying Events
- Non-urgent doctors appointments (dentist visits, annual exams, physicals, etc.)
- Non-emergency medical visits
- Weather
- Final Exams, TEAS Exams, Praxis Exam
- Family Events, Trips, Wedding, Graduation, etc.
- Religious Obligations
- Participation in University Sponsored Events
After Submission of a Request
Submitted requests will generally be reviewed within 3-5 business days depending on the volume of requests.
- Processed: If the request meets criteria, a SANS Notification will be sent to instructors via email and the student submitting the request will be CC’d on the email.
- Denied: If the request does not meet criteria, a denial email will be sent to instructors via email and the student submitting the request will be CC’d on the email.
Contact Us
Office Location
Raker Student Success Building
1202 High Tech Circle
Henderson, NV 89002
Phone: 702-992-2160
Email: [email protected]
Schedule: Here
Hours: Monday – Friday: 8am – 5pm
Closed Holidays and Weekends