2024 -- S 2532 | |
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LC005016 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SCHOOL COMMITTEES AND SUPERINTENDENTS | |
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Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Cano, Tikoian, and LaMountain | |
Date Introduced: March 01, 2024 | |
Referred To: Senate Education | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Section 16-2-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-2 entitled "School |
2 | Committees and Superintendents [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education |
3 | Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
4 | 16-2-2. City and town schools required — School year — Location — Kindergartens. |
5 | (a)(1) Except as specifically provided in this section, every city or town shall establish and |
6 | maintain for at least one hundred eighty (180) days annually or the equivalent thereof, exclusive of |
7 | holidays, a sufficient number of schools in convenient places under the control and management of |
8 | the school committee and under the supervision of the Rhode Island Board of Education. In lieu of |
9 | a convenient location, the school committee may provide transportation for pupils to and from |
10 | school in accordance with the provisions of chapter 21 of this title. Provided, that a school district |
11 | may establish a school year that is the equivalent of one hundred eighty (180) days through the use |
12 | of longer school days in terms of hours or pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, and that may |
13 | total less than one hundred eighty (180) separate days, so long as through the use of the longer |
14 | school day, the school district annually provides a minimum of one thousand eighty (1,080) school |
15 | hours in a single school year. This figure is based on a minimum of six (6) hours per school day. |
16 | For purposes of clarification, the intent herein is to permit school districts to amend their school |
17 | year to provide for longer school days while reducing the actual number of days in which the school |
18 | facilities must be fully staffed and maintained, but to insure that in doing so, school districts shall |
19 | still provide the minimum amount of instruction time contemplated by this section. Nothing herein |
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1 | shall be deemed to limit a school district from exceeding the minimum amounts of days and hours |
2 | set forth herein. |
3 | (2) School districts intending to make use of the option provided herein to lengthen school |
4 | days and shorten the school year shall submit a detailed school day plan and a proposed school |
5 | calendar to the commissioner of elementary and secondary education for approval. The |
6 | commissioner shall review the submitted school day plan and the submitted calendar to determine |
7 | whether the plan and calendar are academically sound and fiscally efficient. The commissioner |
8 | may grant or deny approval of the plan and/or the calendar. |
9 | (3) Professional development is critically important to provide the best instruction for |
10 | students, meet legislative requirements and maintain best practices. For this reason, districts are |
11 | allowed the flexible use release days; provided that, instruction time meets the yearly requirement |
12 | of one thousand eighty (1080) instructional minutes. |
13 | (b) School facilities shall include a sufficient number of kindergartens. |
14 | (c) On or before December 1, 2017, the department of elementary and secondary education |
15 | shall establish a policy that allows a school district to submit a detailed plan, at any time, to the |
16 | commissioner of elementary and secondary education that would allow the schools to conduct |
17 | instruction through virtual education when the schools have been closed due to inclement weather |
18 | or other emergency. The plan for virtual education would be subject to, and require approval by, |
19 | the council on elementary and secondary education in order to count as a school day. |
20 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SCHOOL COMMITTEES AND SUPERINTENDENTS | |
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1 | This act would permit school districts to use release days for professional development; |
2 | provided that, instruction time meets the yearly requirement of one thousand eighty (1080) |
3 | instructional minutes. |
4 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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