House File 45
HOUSE FILE
BY TYMESON
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to the minimum hours of instructional school time
2 in a school year for grades one through twelve for school
3 districts, charter schools, and accredited nonpublic schools,
4 and providing an effective date.
5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
6 TLSB 1843HH 82
7 kh/je/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 256.7, subsection 19, Code 2007, is
1 2 amended by striking the subsection.
1 3 Sec. 2. Section 256.7, Code 2007, is amended by adding the
1 4 following new subsection:
1 5 NEW SUBSECTION. 27. Adopt rules that define what
1 6 constitutes instructional time for purposes of the minimum
1 7 hours of instructional time set forth in section 279.10.
1 8 Instructional time shall not include the lunch period, recess,
1 9 time for noninstructional assemblies, late arrival or early
1 10 dismissal times required for emergency health or safety
1 11 factors, weather=related late starts or early releases, or
1 12 time used for professional development.
1 13 Sec. 3. Section 256F.4, subsection 5, Code 2007, is
1 14 amended to read as follows:
1 15 5. A charter school shall provide instruction for at least
1 16 the number of days hours required by section 279.10,
1 17 subsection 1, or shall provide at least the equivalent number
1 18 of total hours.
1 19 Sec. 4. Section 279.10, subsections 1 and 2, Code 2007,
1 20 are amended to read as follows:
1 21 1. The school year shall begin on the first day of July
1 22 and each regularly established elementary and secondary school
1 23 shall begin no sooner than a day during the calendar week in
1 24 which the first day of September falls but no later than the
1 25 first Monday in December. However, if the first day of
1 26 September falls on a Sunday, school may begin on a day during
1 27 the calendar week which immediately precedes the first day of
1 28 September. School shall continue for at least one hundred
1 29 eighty days, except as provided in subsection 3, and may be
1 30 maintained during the entire calendar year. However, if the
1 31 board of directors of a district extends the school calendar
1 32 because inclement weather caused the district to temporarily
1 33 close school during the regular school calendar, the A school
1 34 district may excuse shall require a graduating senior who has
1 35 met district or school to meet the same requirements for
2 1 graduation from attendance during the extended school calendar
2 2 as those required of any other class of students enrolled at
2 3 the secondary level in the school district, except with regard
2 4 to activities related to graduation as authorized by the
2 5 school district. The minimum hours of instructional time in a
2 6 school year for grades one through six shall be nine hundred
2 7 ninety hours. The minimum hours of instructional time in a
2 8 school year for grades seven through twelve shall be one
2 9 thousand eighty hours. A school corporation may begin
2 10 employment of personnel for in=service training and
2 11 development purposes before the date to begin elementary and
2 12 secondary school.
2 13 2. The board of directors shall hold a public hearing on
2 14 any proposal request authorized under subsection 4 prior to
2 15 submitting it to the department of education for approval.
2 16 Sec. 5. FUTURE EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect July
2 17 1, 2009.
2 18 EXPLANATION
2 19 This bill replaces the current 180=day school calendar,
2 20 which converts to a required 990 hours of instructional school
2 21 time at 5.5 hours per day, with a requirement that the school
2 22 calendar include 990 hours of instructional time for grades
2 23 1==6 and 1,080 hours of instructional time for grades 7==12.
2 24 The bill strikes a Code provision directing the state board
2 25 of education to define the minimum school day and allowing the
2 26 minimum hours to include early dismissals or late arrivals for
2 27 inclement weather or emergency health factors and staff
2 28 development. However, the bill adds a new requirement that
2 29 the state board define what constitutes instructional time,
2 30 which the bill states cannot include the lunch period, recess,
2 31 assembly time, late arrival or early dismissal times, or
2 32 professional development time.
2 33 The bill eliminates a provision that authorizes a school
2 34 district to excuse a graduating senior from attendance on days
2 35 added to the school calendar to make up for days lost due to
3 1 inclement weather. The bill requires that graduating seniors
3 2 meet the same attendance requirements as those required of any
3 3 other class of students at the secondary level, except with
3 4 regard to graduation activities.
3 5 The bill also includes a technical change.
3 6 The bill takes effect July 1, 2009.
3 7 LSB 1843HH 82
3 8 kh:rj/je/5