On Monday, the University announced in an e-mail to the University community a new accommodations policy that makes academic allowances for religious holidays.

The policy, effective immediately, “permits accommodations for students who must miss class, assignments and exams in observance of religious holidays,” the e-mail said.

The policy implements several major changes to better accommodate students who miss class for religious reasons. Absences for religious holidays will not be marked against students as a missed class in classes where participation is counted toward the course grade.

The e-mail also specifies that students cannot be dropped from a class should they miss the first day due to religious observation.

According to the policy, “exams must be reasonably rescheduled without academic penalty.” In the past, there have been instances of professors not offering rescheduled exams, sometimes forcing the University to intervene.

The new policy also requires that professors give “reasonable extensions of time” for students who miss classes due to religious holidays to complete their assignments.

These announcements were made several days before the beginning of Passover, a multiday holiday in Judaism that often interferes with students’ abilities to attend classes and do schoolwork.