Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: April 12, 2019

Dr. Jenn Stephenson
Associate Dean (Studies)
Faculty of Arts and Science


Dear Dr. Stephenson,

I am writing to appeal to the deadline to drop ENGL 100 (Fall-Winter 2018/19).

I am requesting this appeal on the grounds of extenuating circumstances I have faced over the academic year, which have made it very difficult for me to participate in this course to the best of my ability. I am a single mother of two boys, the oldest of whom has been having an increasingly difficult time in school. He has been experiencing behavioural issues and difficulty in attending school. I am in the process of pursuing testing for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) for him. I am working closely with his teachers to make school as accessible as possible for him, the result of which is that he has a revised weekly school schedule which means he does not attend school on a full-time basis. As a mother, it has been necessary for me to put my son¿¿s education above my own. During the days on which both of my sons are at home (the youngest is a toddler), I have a difficult time attending to my school work.

In addition to the difficulties I have been experiencing with my son, I am also coping with my own issues. In the process of having my son tested for ADHD, I have found that I too may suffer from ADHD and am pursuing my own diagnosis as well. Additionally, I am scheduled to have surgery in the coming months and have had a great number of pre-surgical appointments in anticipation of this surgery. I have included a letter from my family doctor in support of this information.

I am currently an off-campus distance student. This is the first year in which I have been enrolled in two courses at the same time. In addition to ENGL 100, I took PSYC 221 in the Fall and am currently enrolled in PSYC 236. My intention is to continue taking courses online until my youngest son starts school, at which point I hope to transition to on-campus courses and complete a Bachelor¿¿s degree in psychology. As such, I made the decision to prioritize my psychology courses. Additionally, the assignments in the PSYCH courses are shorter and I am able to complete them in smaller spurts while my son is at school. The assignments for my English courses have been much more in-depth and require a greater amount of focus to complete the required readings and essays.

I plan to make adjustments to my course plan to accommodate mine and my son¿¿s health difficulties. I plan on taking only one course per semester until such a time that these circumstances have all been addressed. If I am diagnosed with ADHD, I plan to register with the Queen¿¿s Student Accessibility Services to ensure that my academics are not impacted in the future. My surgery should be completed over the summer and the post-surgery appointments are much fewer than pre-surgery. I am also hoping that a diagnosis and therapy plan can be given for my son and myself, over the summer. Should that be the case, taking on more than one course per semester should prove to be both efficient and doable.


Thank you for your consideration. Should you require any clarification or further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,


Rebekka McCarney
Student ID: 20082202
17ram8@queensu.ca
613-453-2630