Can professors force students to attend class in person?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dd signed up for a class that is foundational to her learning path. The school was unclear about the mode of instruction till the last minute. Now the professor has made it mandatory that all students attend in person, with consequences if they don’t. The state I am in is a raging COVID hotspot and as a parent I am upset at this decision. I do not want my DD to face the risk of sitting in class. It’s a 2 hr class to boot and I can’t fathom how she can focus with a mask on her face, for that long. What is a logical way to address this with the school, without losing my mind?

My 18 yr old was wearing a mask for 6hrs/day at work.

My 18 year old also is required to wear a mask at work - 6-12 hours each day depending on how long his shift runs. And, so do all of the other grocery store workers and so do health care workers. Two hours is just no big deal.

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure where to post this, but I’m stunned at the college my kid chose. They are not planning on putting kids in singles, are planning all-in person classes until thanksgiving, and starting a little earlier. Basically the only adjustment is staggered move-in times. No word on testing. No word on grab and go food or anything. I really wish my kid chose a college with more resources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just call her doctor and get a note saying she has compromised immunity and must be excused from in-person classes. Its like getting a note from the eye doctor to get out of swim in gym.

And people can ABSOLUTELY focus with a mask on for two hours. How the f*ck do you think surgeons perform surgery?

I don’t know if that will help her unless they offer the class virtually( which they are not!). She still needs those credits. They promised a hybrid version and back tracked on that

Call the dean of students. They need to hear from families so they can use that info in making decisions.

There's someone on the thread who initially said Dos "wasn't a thing in college," then when proven wrong, course corrected and said that although DoS is a thing, it's not the right thing. Bull hockey. The Dean of Students is often the first point of contact for difficulty navigating the system -- they are an advocate. This isn't about changing a specific grade, but about negotiating a changing academic environment and pulling together resources.

This is from University of Michigan DoS page, emphasis added:

The Dean of Students Office is available to students, parents/families, and faculty/staff who have questions about student support and assistance (in general and particularly related to COVID-19) and/or who are concerned about a student’s well-being. There are several ways to request support from the Dean of Students Office. See below for ways to request support from the Dean of Students Office.

DOS staff members are available to individually support students and help manage any disruptions to their Michigan experience. Staff members can also talk with parents/families, faculty, and staff about resources and support available and can work together to develop a plan for student assistance.

Staff members in the DOS Office can discuss particular needs in relation to the following issues (among others)
- Quarantine or isolation needs
- Academic support (including academic notifications for absences from class or academic stress)
- Financial concerns, including emergency funding
- Campus climate concerns
- Off-campus roommate concerns or questions
- Direct referrals to health and wellbeing resources

It's set up to be a liaison or ombudsman role. Please ignore the postings from someone who is unfamiliar with how large universities work and make use of your Dean of Students Office!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not sure where to post this, but I’m stunned at the college my kid chose. They are not planning on putting kids in singles, are planning all-in person classes until thanksgiving, and starting a little earlier. Basically the only adjustment is staggered move-in times. No word on testing. No word on grab and go food or anything. I really wish my kid chose a college with more resources.

PP here. Disregard!! Nvm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another college professor here. I’m sorry your daughter is in this situation, but she may not have much recourse if the professor isn’t in violation of university policy. If the faculty member teaching it thinks the pedagogical goals of the course can only be met in person and there is no departmental or university policy against it, it’s unlikely that appealing to a higher authority will be helpful. It can’t hurt to reach out to the department chair, but you should know that very few people at a university can actually intervene in a professor’s course and they tend to be high-ranking. Most people at a university who are called deans do not have any supervisory role over faculty. Anyone called a dean of students would not have authority over faculty, although the actual dean of a college or school would, as would the provost. But I would not go up the chain of command about a particular course. First, have your student find out what the reasons are for being in-person and whether the professor has plans for what to do if students get sick or must quarantine. This should definitely be your student, not you, although feel free to coach her on the email. You should also know that setting up a course for simultaneous in-person learning and distance learning is actually quite complicated and and requires a lot of technology. It may not be possible for the professor to do both, especially if it is a lab course or something similar. But there should still be a plan for students if they get sick or if they have medical reasons for not being able to attend in person, even setting aside the mandatory disability accommodations.

If the professor fails to enforce masking in the classroom, what then? All the pedagogical reasons aside, what does any student do if there is supposed to be masking in class and students flout that or wear masks slung around their chins "because I can't breathe!" and the professor...does nothing? Asking seriously. I can see this happening with some professors. I also suspect a lot of students would be afraid to say anything because they believe calling out the professor and class on this would harm their grades.

PP here. College professors are pretty old on average. Most of us are not super keen on being in a classroom this fall. My university is requiring masks and I don’t think it will be hard to enforce with our students, but I have friends who teach at schools where they expect to run into this problem. None of us want to be the mask police, but we have to protect ourselves as well as our students. So I think you’ll see lots of individual faculty requiring masks, even if it’s not university policy. It’s worse for custodians and food service workers, since they can’t set their own policies or kick someone out of the room for not wearing a mask.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dd signed up for a class that is foundational to her learning path. The school was unclear about the mode of instruction till the last minute. Now the professor has made it mandatory that all students attend in person, with consequences if they don’t. The state I am in is a raging COVID hotspot and as a parent I am upset at this decision. I do not want my DD to face the risk of sitting in class. It’s a 2 hr class to boot and I can’t fathom how she can focus with a mask on her face, for that long. What is a logical way to address this with the school, without losing my mind?

I feel badly for anyone who spent time sympathizing with this OP. You’ve been had. This is an absolute troll post.

Are you for real? Why would this be a troll post? I’m worried sick for our safety.
OP

Your child is a grown a** adult and you are trying to solve this situation for her. And while they might take her concerns seriously, no one cares about a 20 year old’s mommy.

My youngest child is not a grown a** adult. She’s 7. And has been practicing wearing a mask for when school starts next month and masks are mandatory FOR AGE 2 (PK) AND UP at all times except lunch. She’s at 6 hours, no issue with a run around outside and lunch break. We need to get her to 8.

So yes, if my elementary school kid can wear a mask for a full day (no hypoxia!) and attend school, your adult can. And if she can’t, it’s time for her to learn self advocacy. Unless you plan to call her manager at her first job and ask if she can turn her assignment in late because of a family vacation?

Troll.