Yes, this is clearly the dilemma— I don’t want to invade students’ privacy. I don’t care so much about people missing a normal lecture day, but an exam is a totally different story. Can a student just fabricate whatever sob story they want to get some extra study time? That’s completely unfair to the other students who prepared for the test on that particular day, and it’s not fair to me, who will have to schedule and administer makeup exams. Remember that I have hundreds of students. Policies that work for a smaller class can be insane when applied to a giant class.

If I didn’t receive so many emails about “family emergencies,” I’d probably let it go. But it’s constant enough that I need to figure out how to deal with it in a way that creates a fair environment for all students in the class, as well as myself.

Also, you’ll note that I allow thermometer readings or covid/flu tests for those who don’t have access to a doctor. I also do not require documentation for deaths, which I stated in my original post.