Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A)
Purpose
Northeast Ohio medical university
respects the religious practices and beliefs of all students and seeks to
provide a learning environment that reasonably accommodates its students'
sincerely held religious beliefs, while simultaneously complying with the
statutory requirements of section
3345.026 of the Revised
Code.
(B)
Scope
This rule applies to all enrolled
students who seek to be excused from academic requirements, including class
attendance or examinations, based on a sincerely held religious belief. Student
employees should refer to rule
3349-7-85 of the Administrative
Code with respect to his/her employment obligations on days of religious
observation.
(C)
Definitions
"Academic semester" refers to the
summer term, fall, and spring semesters as established by each individual
college or degree program and published by the office of the registrar (also
known as an "academic term"). Maymester is an intersession following spring
semester.
(D)
Rule statement
(1)
Excused
absences
(a)
A
student may be excused from class for up to three days of academic requirements
or examinations per academic semester to take holidays for reasons of faith or
religious or spiritual belief systems to participate in organized activities
conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or other
religious or spiritual organization.
(b)
The university
shall not impose any academic penalty as a result of utilizing an excused
absence for the foregoing purposes and shall accept, without question, the
sincerity of a student's religious or spiritual belief system.
(2)
Requests for alternative accommodation
(a)
The university
shall keep requests for alternative accommodations authorized under this rule
confidential, in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
of 1974. The information regarding such requests and alternative accommodations
will only be shared with those individuals and offices that have a need to know
for educational purposes.
(b)
Students requesting an alternative accommodation under
this rule shall do so by completing an online request form. The university
shall provide a student with alternative accommodations for examinations and
other academic requirements that will be missed based upon the excused absence
if the following requirements are met:
(i)
The student's
sincerely held religious belief or practice severely affects the student's
ability to take an examination or meet an academic requirement;
and
(ii)
The request is submitted to the university not later
than fourteen calendar days after the first date of instruction of the semester
in which the excused absence will occur.
(c)
The course
director and/or testing services will be notified of the request and related
approval and will accept without question the sincerity of a student's
religious or spiritual belief system. All students will receive confirmation of
the approval as well as specifics related to the alternative accommodation via
email from the university identifying the time, date, and location for a
make-up or alternative examination, which may be before or after the time and
date the examination or other academic requirement was originally scheduled,
but shall do so without prejudicial effect.
(3)
Notification
(a)
The syllabus for every course shall include the
following information:
(i)
A statement that religious accommodations are available
to students and a hyperlink to this rule, located on the policy portal within
the office of the general counsel's website;
(ii)
A description of
the general procedure for requesting alternative accommodations based on a
sincerely held religious belief or practice; and
(iii)
Contact
information for the office of academic affairs and student services should a
student need more information about this rule.
(b)
A non-exhaustive
list of major religious holidays or festivals for the next two years shall be
posted with this rule, separately identified on the policy portal within the
office of the general counsel's website. The list may not be used to deny
accommodation to a student for a holiday or festival of the student's faith or
religious or spiritual belief system that does not appear on the
list.
(4)
Complaints
Students may notify the university of
any complaint under this rule by contacting:
(a)
Office of
academic affairs and student services;
(b)
The vice
president for academic affairs and provost; or
(c)
By submitting a
complaint online to compliance@neomed.edu.
