Religious Accomodations for Students

Reasonable accommodations are necessarily determined on an individual basis and depend on the circumstances. They might include rescheduling an exam or giving the student a make-up exam, allowing an individual or group presentation to be made on a different date, letting a student attend a different discussion section for the same class that week, adjusting a due date, or assigning the student appropriate make-up work that is intrinsically no more difficult than the original assignment.

A student should make his or her religious accommodation request to the instructor or faculty member in charge of the course. Students are asked to examine the course syllabus for potential conflicts at the start of the semester and promptly notify the instructor of any anticipated accommodation needs, providing as much notice as possible. Students are responsible for arranging in advance to make up missed work or material in a timely manner.

The California State University requires its administrators and faculty to reasonably accommodate the religious needs, observances, and practices of their employees and students upon request.

Individuals may not be discriminated against because of their religious beliefs or practices, or because they lack religious beliefs or practices. Anyone who believes he or she has been discriminated against by the denial of a requested religious accommodation should contact the Office of Equity and Compliance.

Some religious holidays are work-restricted and others are not work-restricted. This list is not all-encompassing. Faculty, staff, students and administrators at Cal Poly Pomona may use this reference to aid in making reasonable accommodations in the scheduling of tests or examinations.