{"id":"res-par-attendance-policy-absences","audience":"parents","category":"research","technique":"grounding","title":"Check which of your child's absences count under the new policy","free":false,"task":"Your daughter missed 4 days this fall, and you want to know which count as excused under the district's attendance policy. You want one numbered line per absence, under 50 words total, each starting Excused, Unexcused, or Policy doesn't say, then the section in parentheses where one applies. Use the 2026-27 policy, not the old one a parent posted, plain text, nothing else.","materialLabel":"The attendance policy, an old version, and your daughter's absences (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"WILLOW CREEK SCHOOLS - ATTENDANCE POLICY 2026-27\nA1. Excused: illness with a parent note within 3 school days of returning.\nA2. Excused: medical or dental appointments with a note from the provider.\nA3. Excused: religious holidays, with parent notice in advance.\nA4. Family trips are unexcused, even with advance notice.\nA5. Absences without a note within 3 school days are unexcused.\n\n-----\nPosted in the parent Facebook group (from the 2024-25 handbook):\n\"Family trips are excused if you tell the school a week ahead!\"\n\n-----\nMY DAUGHTER'S ABSENCES (Ava, 7th grade)\n1. Sept 15 - sick with a fever. I emailed a note the next day.\n2. Oct 2 - dentist appointment. I have the dentist's note.\n3. Oct 20-21 (counting as one item) - family trip to Grandma's 80th birthday. Told the school 2 weeks ahead.\n4. Nov 3 - stayed home to help after our basement flooded. I sent a note the same day.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":50},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Trusting the parent group","why":"The Facebook post sounds confident, and the AI may follow it for the family trip.","fix":"Say: \"Use only the 2026-27 policy.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Guessing on unusual cases","why":"A flood isn't covered, so the AI decides based on what seems fair.","fix":"Add: \"If the policy doesn't cover it, write Policy doesn't say.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"No fixed labels","why":"The AI writes paragraphs with 'likely excused', which doesn't tell you what to do.","fix":"Give them: \"Excused, Unexcused, or Policy doesn't say.\"","checks":["r0","r2"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands 10-20% over.","fix":"Cap each line: \"each line under 8 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Getting markdown back","why":"AI defaults to bold labels and headings, which show up as stray symbols in a note to the attendance office.","fix":"Ask for \"plain text, no bold, no headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Gives exact labels","patterns":["excused","unexcused","policy doesn't say","label"]},{"label":"Names the current policy","patterns":["2026","current","ignore.{0,30}(facebook|post|old)","not.{0,20}(facebook|old)"]},{"label":"Asks for sections","patterns":["section","\\(A\\d","which rule"]},{"label":"Sets a length limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","one (short )?sentence","word (limit|count)"]},{"label":"Asks for plain text","patterns":["plain","no bold","no markdown","no formatting","no headings"]}],"hint":"Parent groups pass around old rules. Tell the AI which policy counts, give it three labels, and say what to do when the policy doesn't cover a case.","rubricLabels":["Absence 1 is Excused (A1) and absence 2 is Excused (A2)","Absence 3 (family trip) is Unexcused under A4, not excused under the old Facebook post","Absence 4 (basement flood) is Policy doesn't say rather than a guess, and the output is only the 4 lines with no intro or advice on appealing"]}