2015 -- S 0366 SUBSTITUTE A

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SCHOOL COMMITTEES AND SUPERINTENDENTS

     

     Introduced By: Senator Roger Picard

     Date Introduced: February 25, 2015

     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

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Education 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

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

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management of the school committee and under the supervision of the board of regents for

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elementary and secondary education. In lieu of convenient location the school committee may

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provide transportation for pupils to and from school in accordance with the provisions of chapter

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21 of this title. Provided, that a school district may establish a school year which is the equivalent

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of one hundred eighty (180) days through the use of longer school days in terms of hours or

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pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, and which may total less than one hundred eighty (180)

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separate days, so long as through the use of the longer school day, the school district annually

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provides a minimum of one thousand eighty (1080) school hours in a single school year. This

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figure is based on a minimum of six (6) hours per school day. For purposes of clarification, the

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intent herein is to permit school districts to amend their school year to provide for longer school

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days while reducing the actual number of days in which the school facilities must be fully staffed

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and maintained, but to insure that in doing so, school districts shall still provide the minimum

 

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amount of instruction time contemplated by this section. Nothing herein shall be deemed to limit

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a school district from exceeding the minimum amounts of days and hours set forth herein.

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

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

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

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     (c) On or before December 1, 2015, the department of elementary and secondary

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

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

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

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weather or other emergency. The plan for virtual education would be subject to and require

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approval by 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 establish a process by which a virtual education plan may be established

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and used by school districts during inclement weather which would count as a school day,

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provided the plan is approved by the council on elementary and secondary education.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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