Attendance Policy

Absences and the Important of Class Attendance 

In order to make progress and get good grades, it is very important to attend class.
Students with F-1 visas must study full-time and attend class regularly in order to remain in status with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Please read below for PIE’s policy on attendance.

 

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL ATTENDANCE: 

  • You should make every effort to schedule things like doctor appointments, driving tests, and meetings at your child’s school at times that do not conflict with PIE classes.
  • If you are sick, you should stay home and get better. DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL IF YOU ARE SICK! Missing one or two classes because you are sick will NOT cause you to fail a class or not pass a level.
  • Teachers take attendance in Canvas for every class. Students can see their attendance score at any time on Canvas.
  • Do NOT be late to class! If you are more than 10 minutes late, the teacher will mark you late, and your attendance will register as 50% for that day.
  • Students must achieve 80% attendance minimum to pass the class.
  • Students are responsible for all work missed while they were absent.
  • Students must talk with their teachers and look on Canvas to find out what they missed.
  • Teachers can decide whether or not to let a student to make up assignments, quizzes, or exams that were missed due to absence.
    • Teachers are more likely to make accommodations for students who have communicated their absence and made an effort to keep up with the work.

 

NO EXCUSED ABSENCES:

  • There are no excused absences at the PIE.
  • If you are here, you are marked here. If you are NOT here, you are marked absent.
  • We do not need to know the reason of your absence, and we will not “excuse” any absences, regardless of the reason.

 

WHAT TO DO IF YOU WILL BE ABSENT: 

If you know that you will be absent, OR if you have an unplanned event where you need to miss school, you should notify your teacher by email or Canvas message as soon as you can. 

    • Emailing your teacher to say you will be absent does not mean that the absence is excused; it just means that you are taking responsibility for your attendance and communicating with your teacher.
    • This is considered a sign of maturity and respect in the U.S. educational system.
    • Example Email:

      Dear Teacher,

      I am sick today, so I cannot come to PIE. Here is a copy of my homework due today.

      Sincerely,
      Min Tran

 

Immigration Status & Absences

For F-1 Students:

  • The PIE is required to report F-1 student absences each week to OIA.
  • Students with F-1 visa status will lose their legal status (terminated) in the U.S. if they reach 26 hours of absence – for ANY reason – in any session.

 

EMERGENCIES:

  • If you have a serious illness or personal difficulty that is causing you to be absent a lot, please contact PIE staff immediately. We may be able to help you unenroll from the course, get a refund, or protect your visa status, depending on your situation. 
  • For F-1 Students: It is possible to make arrangements to withdraw from a session (take a break) even if you have an F-1 visa, but you must have a doctor fill out a form and upload it to Atlas.
    • You must do this BEFORE you reach 26 hours of absence.

 

Being on Time (Punctuality)

  • Being on time to class is very important.
  • If you arrive late to many classes, it negatively affects your progress in learning English and also disrupts your classmates’ learning.
  • In the U.S., it is considered disrespectful to both your classmates and your teacher if you arrive late.
  • In the U.S., “on time” means arriving at the location a few minutes before the scheduled start time of the class or activity.

 

Observance of Religious Holidays 

  • IU Indianapolis and the PIE respect the right of all students to observe their religious holidays.
  • Any student who is unable to attend class because of a religious holiday must be given the opportunity to make up the work that was missed. 
  • Students must make a request in writing to the course instructor very early in the session, so that a reasonable accommodation* can be made.
    • Students can request an accommodation by emailing their teachers before the holiday.
    • Students must give the date and the name of the holiday.
    • Students are still marked absent, but the accommodation means that the student is allowed to make up the class work. 

Example Email: 

Dear Teacher, 

I will be absent from class Friday, June 12 for the beginning of Ramadan. I would like to take the quiz on Monday instead of Friday. 

Sincerely,
Mustafa Gurkan 

*Accommodation = letting someone do something in a different way.
Example of a reasonable accommodation: a quiz is scheduled on a student’s religious holiday. The teacher lets the student take the quiz on a different day.