Reply to Can professors force students to attend class in person?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Attendance apologies around COVID are set by the university and I can’t fathom a school not allowing a student to opt into DL. Clarity around this isn’t great right now and I’m finding students think they have to come in when actually they don’t and I won’t be teaching in person 90% of the time. 
Can your child just directly ask the department chair if there is a policy in the works for opting into distance learning? That would be an appropriate person to ask (the Professor doesn’t set this at a department-level) and in college “Dean of Students” isn’t a thing. [/quote]

+1 to this, OP.

OP, your DD may be afraid to ask about this -- people love to say here that "you must let your college student handle ALL this alone, because, ADULT!" but if she has never before navigated questioning a person in authority over her, she might just knuckle under and not question it. So it's OK, and it is not "helicoptering," to give her some guidance. But don't make these contacts yourself. She does need to do that; you can give her help with a plan.

She can first confirm with the professor. Is this in writing or did she just hear him or her say it, or hear it second-hand? As the PP above notes students do get these things wrong sometimes and make incorrect assumptions or believe what other students say. She needs to sort that first. If in writing, she goes to the department chair. If overheard she should confirm with professor, ask professor if there is any way to do this DL, and then go to the department chair if the prof is saying no.

There is such a thing as a "dean of students" in colleges though maybe not at PP's college. Your DD needs to know who, over the department chair, is the next level up, if she needs to go there. The title doesn't matter, what matters is that she find the chain of responsibility here. If the department chair says in person is required and she pursues it further she needs to know who is over the department chair.

She may also find strength in numbers. If she knows other students who are also wanting this class DL, she should try (quickly, though) to get them on board to approach the professor/department chair/appropriate dean as a group. One person can be brushed aside as a complainer; a group is harder to ignore.

Finally, if you have a high-risk person in the home and she is living at home, she should point that out. It is a real risk if she is going back and forth to classes while living at home.

Come back and update her, and best of luck to her. [/quote]

She did reach out to the proffessor directly explaining her concerns. The reply back from the prof was unbelievably rude. The tone of voice was just harsh offering no help other than dropping out.  This is not a once a week class either, it is multiple times a week. 
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