§ 224-A — Students unable because of religious beliefs to register or attend classes on certain days

§ 224-a. Students unable because of religious beliefs to register or\nattend classes on certain days. 1. No person shall be expelled from or\nbe refused admission as a student to an institution of higher education\nfor the reason that he or she is unable, because of his or her religious\nbeliefs, to register or attend classes or to participate in any\nexamination, study or work requirements on a particular day or days.\n 2. Any student in an institution of higher education who is unable,\nbecause of his or her religious beliefs, to attend classes on a\nparticular day or days shall, because of such absence on the particular\nday or days, be excused from any examination or any study or work\nrequirements.\n 3. It shall be the responsibility of the faculty and of the\nadministrative officials of each institution of higher education to make\navailable to each student who is absent from school, because of his or\nher religious beliefs, an equivalent opportunity to register for classes\nor make up any examination, study or work requirements which he or she\nmay have missed because of such absence on any particular day or days.\nNo fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making\navailable to the said student such equivalent opportunity.\n 4. If registration, classes, examinations, study or work requirements\nare held on Friday after four o'clock post meridian or on Saturday,\nsimilar or makeup classes, examinations, study or work requirements or\nopportunity to register shall be made available on other days, where it\nis possible and practicable to do so. No special fees shall be charged\nto the student for these classes, examinations, study or work\nrequirements or registration held on other days.\n 5. In effectuating the provisions of this section, it shall be the\nduty of the faculty and of the administrative officials of each\ninstitution of higher education to exercise the fullest measure of good\nfaith. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student\nbecause of his or her availing himself or herself of the provisions of\nthis section.\n 6. Any student, who is aggrieved by the alleged failure of any faculty\nor administrative officials to comply in good faith with the provisions\nof this section, shall be entitled to maintain an action or proceeding\nin the supreme court of the county in which such institution of higher\neducation is located for the enforcement of his or her rights under this\nsection.\n 6-a. It shall be the responsibility of the administrative officials\nof each institution of higher education to give written notice to\nstudents of their rights under this section, informing them that each\nstudent who is absent from school, because of his or her religious\nbeliefs, must be given an equivalent opportunity to register for classes\nor make up any examination, study or work requirements which he or she\nmay have missed because of such absence on any particular day or days.\nNo fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making\navailable to such student such equivalent opportunity.\n 7. As used in this section, the term "institution of higher education"\nshall mean any institution of higher education, recognized and approved\nby the regents of the university of the state of New York, which\nprovides a course of study leading to the granting of a post-secondary\ndegree or diploma. Such term shall not include any institution which is\noperated, supervised or controlled by a church or by a religious or\ndenominational organization whose educational programs are principally\ndesigned for the purpose of training ministers or other religious\nfunctionaries or for the purpose of propagating religious doctrines. As\nused in this section, the term "religious belief" shall mean beliefs\nassociated with any corporation organized and operated exclusively for\nreligious purposes, which is not disqualified for tax exemption under\nsection 501 of the United States Code.\n