On February 9, 2022, Senate approved changes to the Faculty Handbook that remove the requirement for students to present medical notes in certain circumstances. These changes bring Brock in line with emerging best practice in the university sector, in addition to alleviating the burden on medical services both on campus and in the community. The process also encourages students to stay home if they are sick, which helps reduce the spread of disease on campus.

The revised medical notes process requires the following:

• If students are unwell and unable to complete their academic activities for three days or less, they can present a completed medical self-declaration form to their instructors to excuse their absence. This self-attestation replaces the previous requirement for a signed medical note.
• A completed medical verification form signed by a medical professional is still required for absences of more than three days, as well as in certain specific situations such as when a student misses a final exam.

The medical self-declaration form must be used within 24 hours of a student’s return to academic activity. The academic consideration upon presentation of a medical self-declaration form to be granted is at the discretion of the instructor. Use of the medical self-declaration form is also limited to once per course per term.

Now that the revised procedure has been in place for almost a full year, Brock is inviting feedback from students, staff, faculty members and professional librarians to help inform the continued improvement of its medical notes process and to better support students and faculty members in their use of the process.

Any comments about the current process and suggestions for improvement can be submitted using the box below.

Consultation will remain open until February 10, 2023.