If a student is required to be absent from class because of duties performed as an emergency worker as defined in the Volunteer Emergency Worker Higher Education Protection Act (110 ILCS 122, et seq.) each of the student's instructors will provide reasonable arrangements for completing missed exams, quizzes, and other required work and may not require that missed work be counted as a low grade to be dropped.
The student will provide appropriate documentation of services as an emergency worker to the Dean of Students Office and arrange to complete missed classroom work with the course instructor(s) as soon as possible. Ultimately, students are responsible for the material covered in class.
Appeals
If, after discussion with the faculty member, the student believes, in good faith, that the arrangements are not reasonable, or if there is an inability to reach the faculty member, the student may file an appeal to the department chair/school director, or the Dean of the Mennonite College of Nursing (when applicable) no later than ten (10) business days after the end of the student's absence period due to service as a volunteer emergency worker. The department chair/school director, or the Dean of the Mennonite College of Nursing (when applicable) will issue a written decision to both parties within ten (10) business days. Both parties have the right to appeal the department chair's/school director's, or the Dean of the Mennonite College of Nursing's (when applicable) decision by filing a written appeal within five (5) business days to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. The Provost's decision shall be final without further appeal.
Definitions (from 50 ILCS 748/3)
"Volunteer Emergency Worker" means a person who serves as a member of a fire department of a fire protection district, municipality, or other unit of government on other than a full-time career basis and who meets the requirements for volunteer status provided in Section 553.106 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations and United States Department of Labor Wage and Hour Opinion Letter FLSA 2006-28 and United States Department of Labor Wage and Hour Opinion Letter FLSA 2005-51.
"Volunteer emergency worker" also means, including, but is not limited to, a person who serves on a volunteer basis and is licensed under the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act as an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) (First Responder), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate (EMT-I), Advanced Emergency Medical Responder (A-EMT), or Paramedic (EMT-P), or a volunteer ambulance driver or attendant, and the person does not work in one of these capacities for another fire department, fire protection district, or governmental entity on a full-time career basis.
"Volunteer emergency worker" also means a person who is a volunteer member of a county or municipal emergency services and disaster agency pursuant to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, an auxiliary policeman appointed pursuant to the Municipal Code, or an auxiliary deputy appointed by a county sheriff pursuant to the Counties Code.
"Monetary compensation" does not include a monetary incentive awarded to a firefighter by the board of trustees of a fire protection district under Section 6 of the Fire Protection District Act.