POLICY STATEMENT: The Health Service of Worcester Polytechnic Institute does not provide written excuses for class absence due to minor illness nor does it provide verification that a student was seen for medical evaluation. In the event of an acute illness, hospitalization, or extended medical confinement, Health Services will notify the Director of Academic Advising and the Registrar's office without disclosure of privileged details. Responsibility for class attendance and completion of assignments rests with the student who should discuss assignment issues with the individual course instructor when necessary.
RATIONALE: Health Services was not aware that some professors have requirements in their syllabi for notes from Health Services to excuse student illnesses. This year, for whatever reason, there has been an influx of these requests from students to document minor illnesses, which conflicts with the long- standing Health Services policy. Clearly, there is a need to establish the policy in writing so that the entire community has a common understanding of it.
The policy recognizes that being sick is subjective, even for the professionals in Health Services. They cannot make judgments as to whether a student can or should take an exam when s/he has a cold or low-grade fever, for example. Health Services has occasionally and reluctantly given letters to the effect of "John Doe has been seen and evaluated in Health Services" when students say that a professor requires it. With publication of the above policy, Health Services will no longer provide such notes. The vagueness of those notes reflected not only confidentiality requirements, but more so, Health Service's discomfort when being faced with a student who says, "I don't feel well today and I have an exam. Can you write a note to my professor?" or "I was sick yesterday and now my professor wants a note." These subjective cases must be negotiated between students and individual faculty. Health Services and CSA also wish to remind faculty that disclosure of specific details regarding hospitalization or other treatment of students with acute, serious, or contagious illnesses would violate students' privacy rights and thus cannot be shared with faculty. In these cases, the Director of Academic Advising notifies course instructors that the student is ill.
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