SB 661 — Replacing minimum minutes of instructional time required per day

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Red = new code to be enacted WEST virginia legislature regular session IntroducedCommittee Substitute for Senate Bill 661 By Senators Rucker and ClineCline, [Introducedoriginal Januarysponsors 30,[Originating 2020;in the Committee on Education;

referredreported toon theFebruary Committee24, on2020] Education]    A BILL to amend and reenact §18-5-45 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to replacing minimum minutes of instructional time required per day with a requirement for an average of five hours per day throughout the instructional term;

prohibitingand requiring county boards of education to provide public notice of public hearings for discussing the instructionalschool termcalendar fromby commencingpublishing beforeprominently Septemberon 1;the board’s website in addition to publishing in a local newspaper of general circulation in the area.

and allowing county boards of education to provide public notice of public hearings for discussing the school calendar by publishing prominently on the board’s website instead of publishing in a local newspaper of general circulation in the area.

(2) School systems must have sufficient flexibility to design the school day in a way that best provides quality instruction to their students;students.

(3) Critical to the delivery of quality instruction is sufficient collaborative time among educators within the work day;day.

(2) Within the employment term, an instructional term for students of no less than 180 separate instructional days with an average of five hours of instruction per day, which includes an inclement weather and emergencies plan designed to guarantee an instructional term for students of no less than 180 separate instructional days,days: subject to the following:

subject to the following Provided, That subject to approval of its plan by the state board, a county board may deliver instruction through alternative methods on up to five days when schools are closed due to inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances and these days are instructional days notwithstanding the closure of schools.

and (iii) Apply any additional equivalent time to recover time lost due to late arrivals and early dismissals (A)(B) TheSubject instructionalto termapproval of its plan by the state board, a county board may commencedeliver noinstruction earlierthrough thanalternative Septembermethods 1;on up to five days when schools are closed due to inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances and these days are instructional days notwithstanding the closure of schools;

and (B) Subject to approval of its plan by the state board, a county board may deliver instruction through alternative methods on up to five days when schools are closed due to inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances and these days are instructional days notwithstanding the closure of schools.

and (4) The five days or equivalent portions of days planned within the school calendar exclusively for activities by educators at the school level to improve instruction that are gained by increasing the length of the instructional day as provided in subsection (c) of this section (f) If it is not possible to complete 180 separate instructional days with the current school calendarcalendar, and if scheduling instruction on any available noninstructional day pursuant to subsection (e) of this section is not sufficient to accomplish 180 separate instructional days, the county board still shall ensure that the average of five hours over 180 days or a total of 900 instructional hours during the school year is maintained.

(f) (g) The instructional term shall commence and terminate on a date selected by the county board:board.

Provided, That the instructional term may not commence before September 1.

(l) (m) In formulation of a school’s calendar, a county school board shall hold at least two public meetings that allow parents, teachers, teacher organizations, businessesbusinesses, and other interested parties within the county to discuss the school calendar.

The public notice of the date, timetime, and place of the public hearing must be published in a local newspaper of general circulation in the area as a Class II legal advertisement, in accordance with the provisions of §59-3-1 et seq.

of this code orand published prominently on the county board of education’s website.

(o) (p) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, the state board may grant a waiver to a county board for its noncompliance with provisions of this chapter 18,and chapters 18A, 18B18B, and 18C of this code to maintain compliance in reaching the mandatory 180 separate instructional days established in this section.

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The purpose of this bill is to  replace minimum minutes of instructional time required per day with a requirement for an average of five hours per day throughout the instructional term;

prohibit the instructional term from commencing before September 1;

and allow county boards of education to provide public notice of public hearings for discussing the school calendar by publishing prominently on the board’s website instead of publishing in a local newspaper of general circulation in the area Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.

Bill Status  |  Bill Tracking  |  Legacy WV Code  |  Bulletin Board  |  District Maps  |  Senate Roster  |  House Roster  |  Live  |  Blog  |  Jobs  |  Links  |  Home This Web site is maintained by the West Virginia Legislature's Office of Reference & Information.