Religious Observances

UW–Madison’s religious observances policy relates to academic instruction and is meant to be sensitive to the needs of individual students.

Religious Observances
State law mandates that any student with a conflict between an academic requirement and any religious observance (which may include travel time) must be given an alternative for meeting the academic requirement. There are a variety of valid claims, and there is no practical, dignified or legal means to assess individual claims.

With this in mind, instructors should follow these guidelines:

• Proactively plan ahead to avoid conflicts between examinations or major course activities and religious observances, when possible. You can use the calendar of the most represented religions at UW-Madison below to assist in your planning. You can also add religious observances to your Outlook calendar.
• Communicate with your students early (e.g., mention in your course syllabi and class announcements), and highlight the shared responsibility – students are responsible for notifying instructors within the first two weeks of classes of the date(s) on which they request relief due to a religious observance.
• Accept students’ requests at face value and do not question the validity of their religion or the sincerity of their beliefs.
• Be prepared to offer students reasonable alternative pathways to fulfill course requirements (including class attendance) in cases where conflicts can’t be avoided.
• Student complaints should be directed to the Office of Student Assistance and Support using this form.

Putting policy into practice – The attachment has further explanation and guidance on putting these policy requirements into practice.