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

     

     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:

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     SECTION 1. Section 16-2-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-2 entitled "School

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Committees and Superintendents [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education

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Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     16-2-2. City and town schools required — School year — Location — Kindergartens.

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     (a)(1) Except as specifically provided in this section, every city or town shall establish and

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maintain for at least one hundred eighty (180) days annually or the equivalent thereof, exclusive of

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holidays, a sufficient number of schools in convenient places under the control and management of

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the school committee and under the supervision of the Rhode Island Board of Education. In lieu of

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a convenient location, the school committee may provide transportation for pupils to and from

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school in accordance with the provisions of chapter 21 of this title. Provided, that a school district

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may establish a school year that is the equivalent of one hundred eighty (180) days through the use

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of longer school days in terms of hours or pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, and that may

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total less than one hundred eighty (180) separate days, so long as through the use of the longer

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school day, the school district annually provides a minimum of one thousand eighty (1,080) school

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hours in a single school year. This figure is based on a minimum of six (6) hours per school day.

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For purposes of clarification, the intent herein is to permit school districts to amend their school

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year to provide for longer school days while reducing the actual number of days in which the school

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facilities must be fully staffed and maintained, but to insure that in doing so, school districts shall

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still provide the minimum amount of instruction time contemplated by this section. Nothing herein

 

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shall be deemed to limit a school district from exceeding the minimum amounts of days and hours

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set forth herein.

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     (2) School districts intending to make use of the option provided herein to lengthen school

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days and shorten the school year shall submit a detailed school day plan and a proposed school

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calendar to the commissioner of elementary and secondary education for approval. The

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commissioner shall review the submitted school day plan and the submitted calendar to determine

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whether the plan and calendar are academically sound and fiscally efficient. The commissioner

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may grant or deny approval of the plan and/or the calendar.

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     (3) Professional development is critically important to provide the best instruction for

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students, meet legislative requirements and maintain best practices. For this reason, districts are

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allowed the flexible use release days; provided that, instruction time meets the yearly requirement

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of one thousand eighty (1080) instructional minutes.

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     (b) School facilities shall include a sufficient number of kindergartens.

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     (c) On or before December 1, 2017, the department of elementary and secondary education

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shall establish a policy that allows a school district to submit a detailed plan, at any time, to the

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commissioner of elementary and secondary education that would allow the schools to conduct

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instruction through virtual education when the schools have been closed due to inclement weather

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or other emergency. The plan for virtual education would be subject to, and require approval by,

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the council on elementary and secondary education in order to count as a school day.

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     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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     This act would permit school districts to use release days for professional development;

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provided that, instruction time meets the yearly requirement of one thousand eighty (1080)

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instructional minutes.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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