Attendance Policy

Athens Technical College strongly encourages regular and punctual class attendance. Research shows a strong correlation between class attendance and grades earned. Absences prevent students from receiving full course benefits, disrupt orderly course progress, and diminish the quality of group interaction in class. The College considers both tardiness and early departure from class as forms of absenteeism. Students who stop attending class, but do not formally withdraw, may receive grades of "F" and face financial aid repercussions in future semesters.

The student is responsible for knowing the course attendance requirements and adhering to them. Students anticipating an absence or tardiness should contact the instructor and provide notification as soon as possible. Students absent from class for any reason are still responsible for all work missed. Final grades may be affected by excessive absence and tardiness. Failure to attend class the first week may result in students being reported as no-shows and dropped from the course.

Athens Technical College is a non-attendance taking institution. However, instructors may develop reasonable attendance requirements appropriate to the type, level, delivery method, and frequency of class meetings for their courses in accordance with the rules of respective licensure boards and/or accrediting agencies. Instructors must communicate the requirements to students clearly via their syllabi addenda and apply the requirements fairly and consistently to all enrolled students. Instructors are responsible for determining whether work missed may be made up or rescheduled; if any make-up work is allowed, it is scheduled at the discretion of instructors. Policies for make-up work are detailed in the course syllabi. The syllabi should clearly describe the consequences of missed classes.

In the event of class cancellation or school closure due to severe weather or other emergencies, students are expected to continue participating in learning activities via Blackboard. Instructors will provide information on their continuation of instructional plans in their syllabi.

Workforce Investment Act (WIOA) students and students in programs sponsored by the Department of Labor will submit an Attendance/Travel Reimbursement form with the instructor's signature verifying attendance in class or school biweekly. Students are expected to submit completed forms with any required signatures in place.