Case 7: PTSD

Class Absence Excuse Discussion, ECE400, Spring 2012

A student has missed half of the lectures in the semesters. He would like to be excused because he has post-traumatic stress disorder following a tour in Iraq. When pressed for details, he says that he would rather not talk about it...

• Shicheng Guo, Response
  • Ask for proof of deployment, and a doctors note confirming that he actually has PTSD.
    • Unfortunately, privacy issues prevent an instructor from demanding any such documentation. -pm

• Artyom Melanich, Response
  • Should notify you in advance that it might happen and you can come up with the solution. He could at least explain to you the general idea and what makes him to missa a class so you can try to figure out a solution.

• Cody Cusic, Response
  • If this is the case, they should get a note from a doctor, psychologist, or psychiatrist excusing the student. If it is too big of a problem and they are not taking the steps to help it, then they should not be given a free ride through the class. They should not have to talk about it to the teacher, as they deserve to keep it confidential if they want, but they do need to talk to a professional at least once in order to get a written note approving the student to miss class.

• Seth Strege, Response
  • I would accept this as a valid excuse to miss class. In order to prove this excuse, I would ask the student to see one of the school counselors. The counselor could help the student, as well as verify that PTSD is actually occurring.

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