| Chapter 434 |
| 2024 -- S 2532 SUBSTITUTE A Enacted 06/29/2024 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SCHOOL COMMITTEES AND SUPERINTENDENTS |
Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Cano, Tikoian, and LaMountain |
| Date Introduced: March 01, 2024 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 16-2-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-2 entitled "School |
| Committees and Superintendents [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education |
| Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 16-2-2. City and town schools required — School year — Location — Kindergartens. |
| (a)(1) Except as specifically provided in this section, every city or town shall establish and |
| maintain for at least one hundred eighty (180) days annually or the equivalent thereof, exclusive of |
| holidays, a sufficient number of schools in convenient places under the control and management of |
| the school committee and under the supervision of the Rhode Island Board of Education. In lieu of |
| a convenient location, the school committee may provide transportation for pupils to and from |
| school in accordance with the provisions of chapter 21 of this title. Provided, that a school district |
| may establish a school year that is the equivalent of one hundred eighty (180) days through the use |
| of longer school days or combination of longer and shorter school days in terms of school hours, |
| or pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, and that may total less than one hundred eighty (180) |
| separate days, so long as through the use of the longer school day days or through the use of a |
| combination of longer and shorter school days, the school district annually provides a minimum of |
| one thousand eighty (1,080) school hours in a single school year. This figure is based on a minimum |
| of six (6) hours per school day. For purposes of clarification, the intent herein is to permit school |
| districts to amend their school year to provide for longer school days while reducing the actual |
| number of days in which the school facilities must be fully staffed and maintained flexibility in the |
| delivery of educational services, but to insure ensure that in doing so, school districts shall still |
| provide the minimum amount of instruction time contemplated by this section one thousand eighty |
| (1,080) school hours in a single school year and shall still provide any instructional hours minimum |
| in a single school year. Provided, however, that the flexibility granted herein also applies to a daily |
| instructional hours minimum otherwise required by the Rhode Island Board of Education or by the |
| department of elementary and secondary education. Nothing herein shall be deemed to limit a |
| school district from exceeding the minimum amounts of days and hours set forth herein. |
| (2) School districts intending to make use of the option flexibility provided herein to |
| lengthen school days and shorten the school year shall submit a detailed school day plan and a |
| proposed school calendar to the commissioner of elementary and secondary education for approval. |
| The commissioner shall review the submitted school day plan and the submitted calendar to |
| determine whether the plan and calendar are academically sound and fiscally efficient. The |
| commissioner may grant or shall not unreasonably deny approval of the plan and/or the calendar. |
| (3) Professional development, including common planning time, is critically important to |
| provide the best instruction for students, meet legislative requirements, and maintain best practices. |
| For this reason, districts are allowed the flexible use early release days; provided that districts meet |
| the yearly requirement of one thousand eighty (1,080) school hours. |
| (b) School facilities shall include a sufficient number of kindergartens. |
| (c) On or before December 1, 2017, the department of elementary and secondary education |
| shall establish a policy that allows a school district to submit a detailed plan, at any time, to the |
| commissioner of elementary and secondary education that would allow the schools to conduct |
| instruction through virtual education when the schools have been closed due to inclement weather |
| or other emergency. The plan for virtual education would be subject to, and require approval by, |
| the council on elementary and secondary education in order to count as a school day. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC005016/SUB A |
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