The following Policy Guideline is designed to replace Informational Policy Memorandum (IPM) 50, issued February 25, 1993.
Section 126.4(e) of the Regulations of the Commissioner states, in part, that:
"Each school shall establish and maintain attendance policies and regulations, acceptable to and approved by the commissioner."
The State Education Department (SED) may permit a student to begin instruction up to one week after the program has started (i.e., the student will begin classes no later than the first day of the second week). Any school which chooses to exercise this option shall provide remediation for students entering after the official start date of the class. The school policy on late starts must be included in the school's catalog. The length of a week may not necessarily be a calendar week. Rather, it would be established by the definition of a week as spelled out on the enrollment agreement. If the school elects to exercise the option of late starts, refund calculations would be based on the student's actual start date, not the date of the program start. Please realize that SED's approval does not release a school from other state or federal requirements with regard to clock hours or financial aid (e.g., TAP-1440 hours; Title IV funds-600 hours; etc.).
Schools opting to allow late starts should also note section 126.4(a) of Commissioner's Regulations which states, in part, that:
"The commissioner shall approve the appropriate student-to-teacher ratio for each course or curricula. Schools shall ensure that student enrollment on the attendance register does not exceed the approved ratio after the first week of instruction."