Reference is to Printer's Date 03/24/15-H.
Amend the bill, as and if amended, by deleting all after the enacting words and inserting:
/ SECTION 1. Section 59-1-425 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 260 of 2006, is amended to read:
"Section 59-1-425.
(A) Each local school district board of trustees of the
State shall have the authority to establish an annual school
calendar for teachers, staff, and students. The statutory school
term is one hundred ninety days annually and shall consist of a
minimum of one hundred eighty days of instruction covering at
least nine calendar months. However, beginning with the
2007-2008 school year the opening date for students must not be
before the third Monday in August, except for schools operating
on a year-round modified school calendar. Three days must be
used for collegial professional development based upon the
educational standards as required by Section 59-18-300. The
professional development shall address, at a minimum, academic
achievement standards including strengthening teachers'
knowledge in their content area, teaching techniques, and
assessment. No more than two days may be used for preparation of
opening of schools and the remaining five days may be used for
teacher planning, academic plans, and parent conferences. The
number of instructional hours in an instructional day may vary
according to local board policy and does not have to be uniform
among the schools in the district.
(B) Notwithstanding any
other provisions of law to the contrary, all school days missed
because of snow, extreme weather conditions, or other
disruptions requiring schools to close must be made up. All
school districts shall designate annually at least three days
within their school calendars to be used as make-up days in the
event of these occurrences. If those designated days have been
used or are no longer available, the local school board of
trustees may lengthen the hours of school operation by no less
than one hour per day for the total number of hours missed
or, operate schools on Saturday, or
may waive up to three days. A waiver granted by the local board
of trustees of the requirement for making up the up to three
days missed only may be authorized through a majority vote of
the local school board. Schools operating on a four-by-four
block schedule shall make every effort to make up the time
during the semester in which the days are missed. A plan to make
up days by lengthening the school day must be approved by the
Department of Education before implementation. Tutorial
instruction for grades 7 through 12 may be taught on Saturday at
the direction of the local school board. If a local school board
authorizes make-up days on Saturdays, tutorial instruction
normally offered on Saturday for seventh through twelfth graders
must be scheduled at an alternative time.
(C) The General
Assembly by law State Board of Education may
waive the requirements of making up missed days
or, by law, may authorize the school board of trustees
to forgive up to three days beyond the three days
forgiven by the local school district, not to exceed an
additional three days missed because of snow, extreme
weather conditions, or other disruptions requiring schools to
close. A waiver granted by the local board of trustees
of the requirement for making up missed days also must be
authorized through a majority vote of the local school
board Such a waiver only may be considered and
granted upon the request of the local board of trustees through
a majority vote of the local school board.
(D) If a school is
closed early due to snow, extreme weather conditions, or other
disruptions, the day may count towards the required minimum to
the extent allowed by State Board of Education policy.
(E) The instructional
day for secondary students must be at a minimum six hours a day,
or its equivalent weekly, excluding lunch. The school day for
elementary students must be at a minimum six hours a day, or its
equivalent weekly, including lunch.
(F) Elementary and
secondary schools may reduce the length of the instructional day
to not less than three hours for not more than three days each
school year for staff development, teacher conferences, or for
the purpose of administering end-of-semester and end-of-year
examinations.
(G) Priority during the
instructional day must be given to teaching and learning tasks.
Class interruptions must be limited only to emergencies.
Volunteer blood drives as determined by the principal may be
conducted at times which would not interfere with classroom
instruction such as study period, lunch period, and before and
after school.
(H) The State Board of
Education may waive the school opening date requirement pursuant
to subsection (A) of this section on a showing of good cause or
for an educational purpose. For the purposes of this
section:
(1)
'Good cause' means that schools in a district have been
closed eight days per year during any four of the last ten years
because of severe weather conditions, energy shortages, power
failures, or other emergency situations.
(2)
'Educational purpose' means a district establishes a need
to adopt a different calendar for a:
(a)
specific school to accommodate a special program offered
generally to the student body of that school,
(b)
school that primarily serves a special population of
students, or
(c)
defined program within a school.
The state board may grant the waiver for an
educational purpose for that specific school or defined program
to the extent that the state board finds that the educational
purpose is reasonable, the accommodation is necessary to
accomplish the educational purpose, and the request is not an
attempt to circumvent the opening date set forth in this
subsection. Waiver requests for educational purposes may not be
used to accommodate system-wide class scheduling preferences.
Nothing in this subsection prohibits a district from offering
supplemental or additional educational programs or activities
outside of the calendar adopted under this section."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor and applies retroactively to January 1, 2015. /
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.