Please consult each course syllabus for information about an individual instructor’s absence policies. Students are responsible for notifying their faculty instructors about class absences in accordance with the attendance policies set forth in the course syllabus.

Please note: Instructors are not automatically notified about your absence when you submit a recording request.

Please note: Instructors are not automatically notified about an absence when you submit a recording request, and approval of a recording request is not the same thing as an excused absence. Instructors cannot approve class recordings, only absences. Not all instructor-approved absences qualify for class recordings.

If you are not feeling well, you should reach out to a medical provider and follow their guidance. Medical questions should be directed to your primary care provider, the HUHS Law School Clinic at Pound Hall (617-495-4414), or HUHS Urgent Care (617-495-5711).

Documentation from a medical provider is typically required to receive recordings requested due to medical emergency or severe illnesses that may qualify as emergent – especially where a medical provider has advised you to stay away from campus. In cases where an absence from campus is recommended by your medical provider, your documentation should note the period you will be unable to attend classes.

For more information on COVID and similar respiratory viruses, please see the Q&A directly below.

Please attach medical documentation to the Class Recording Request Form in the HLS Services Hub, or you may email documentation to classrecording@law.harvard.edu.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance for preventing the spread of respiratory viruses now relies on an individual’s symptoms rather than prescribing a standard isolation period. If you have tested positive for COVID-19 or otherwise reasonably suspect you have COVID-19 or a similar respiratory virus, please refer to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance to determine whether isolation is required.

If, after reviewing CDC guidance, you determine you should isolate, you may request one day of class recordings without medical documentation. Additional recording requests must be submitted daily based on your symptoms and continued need to isolate according to the above-linked guidance. These requests will be considered on a day-by-day basis. For unconfirmed cases of COVID or similar respiratory illness requiring isolation beyond 24 hours, medical documentation is required.

Please note that in order to be able to approve your request(s), they must comply with the timing guidelines outlined above. However, you need not have medical documentation when you submit your recording request. DOS-CEEB Class Recordings will conditionally approve your request in order to allow you time for your symptoms to abate or to get medical documentation.

For clinical hearings, students may request that a class be audio-recorded for the following reasons: unavoidable conflicts with court hearings, administrative proceedings, or other court-ordered appearances connected to academic credit offerings only in the Clinical Programs, where the student is a primary actor in the proceeding.

For clinical hearings, your request must indicate:

1. The type of clinical conflict, including:
   1. The role they expect to play in the court hearing or administrative proceeding, OR
   2. The ordinary office hours for the clinical placement and attestation of schedule from OCP or clinical director
2. Explanation as to why the conflict is unavoidable/means taken to reschedule or arrange coverage
3. Confirmation that they have alerted their clinical instructor/supervisor of the unavoidable conflict

Clinical requests must be submitted at least three full business days prior to the conflicting opportunity.

The Services Hub sends an automated email to the requestor once the request ticket is acted upon. However, there is still processing that needs to occur before the recording can be made available for listening. You will receive an email when your audio recording is available.

No. Class recordings are for your individual use only.

Students may not record, stream, reproduce, publish, or further distribute outside the course any course content, including assessments, problems, answers, video clips, screenshots, and slides presented during class.

Further, no person is permitted to post, distribute, or otherwise make available any recordings produced by the HLS Information Technology Services (ITS) Department, which includes all class recordings posted in Canvas.

Class notes will be one of the best ways to catch up on what you may have missed!

In addition to asking friends and peers for notes, we encourage you to utilize your study groups to get caught up with missed content. In addition, you may reach out to your instructor or their assistant for class materials (if available), or, to attend office hours.

If you are cross-registered in an HLS course or are enrolled in a jointly-offered course hosted on the HLS campus, email classrecording@law.harvard.edu to request a recording.

Please include the following information in your request:
– YOUR NAME
– PROFESSOR’S NAME
– COURSE TITLE
– CLASS START TIME
– CLASSROOM NUMBER
– REASON FOR REQUEST*

*If your request is related to medical circumstances, please include documentation with your email.

Please note that the timing of recording requests must adhere to the guidelines outlined in the “Timing of Student Recording Requests” section.

No. Recordings are not available to students auditing a course, only to students who are officially enrolled in HLS courses.