School Attendance Policies
Most schools expect students to attend all of their classes. After all, what would be the point in enrolling students to get an education and then figuring they didn't need to actually show up? Specific attendance policies can vary from one school to another or even from one class to another.
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The Responsibility of Students
There are many reasons why students might miss class, ranging from flaky reasons like they overslept or didn't plan for enough time to find parking to more legitimate reasons like being sick or having a family emergency. Part of being an adult is knowing how to prioritize your life and manage your time so you can meet all of your obligations. If a student decides that something else is more important than attending class it becomes his or her responsibility to make up the work and find out what was missed. The student may also have to speak with his or her professor after class or during office hours to talk about the situation because it shouldn't be the professors' responsibility to seek out all students who missed classes and get them caught up.
Being Treated More Like an Adult
Enforcing attendance policies could actually be treating students more like adults. Once students graduate and enter the workforce, their job will typically only allow them a certain amount of absences or vacation days, just like colleges might only find a small number of unexcused absences acceptable. And similar to in college, there are real world consequences for missing too many work days, like loss of pay, being put on probation or even getting fired. If colleges are supposed to help prepare students for the 'real world,' attendance policies are one way they're accomplishing that goal.
Along with helping reinforce a sense of responsibility in students, these regulations can also