HSB 559 (LSB 5213DP (5) 85)

SENATE/HOUSE FILE _____

BY  (PROPOSED DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BILL)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to school instructional time.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 256.7, subsection 19, Code 2013, as amended by 2013 Iowa Acts, chapter 121, section 79, is amended to read as follows:
   19.  Define For a school or school district with a school calendar measuring instructional time in days pursuant to section 279.10, subsection 1, define the minimum school day as a day consisting of six hours of instructional days or time for grades one through twelve. The minimum hours as time that shall be exclusive of the lunch period, but may include passing time between classes. Time spent on parent-teacher conferences shall be considered instructional time.  A school or school district may record a day of school with less than the minimum instructional hours as a minimum school day if any of the following apply: 
   a.  If emergency health or safety factors require the late arrival or early dismissal of students on a specific day.
   b.  If the total hours of instructional school time for grades one through twelve for any five consecutive school days equal a minimum of thirty hours, even though any one day of school is less than the minimum instructional hours because of a staff development opportunity provided for the professional instructional staff or because parent-teacher conferences have been scheduled beyond the regular school day. Furthermore, if the total hours of instructional time for the first four consecutive days equal at least thirty hours because parent-teacher conferences have been scheduled beyond the regular school day, a school or school district may record zero hours of instructional time on the fifth consecutive school day as a minimum school day.
    Sec. 2.  Section 279.10, subsection 4, Code 2014, is amended to read as follows:
   4.  The director of the department of education may grant a request made by a board of directors of a school district or the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school stating its desire to commence classes for regularly established elementary and secondary schools prior to the earliest starting date specified in subsection 1. A request shall be based upon the determination that a starting date on or after the earliest starting date specified in subsection 1 would have a significant negative educational impact.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with

the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill restores language struck by 2013 Iowa Acts, chapter 121 (House File 215) that permits a school or school district with a school calendar measuring instructional time in days to record a day of school with less than the minimum instructional hours as a minimum school day for emergency health or safety factors and for staff development opportunities and parent-teacher conferences. However, the bill provides that a minimum school day shall consist of six hours of instructional time.
   The bill also provides that the department of education may grant a request made by the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school to start school earlier than the statutory school start date during the calendar week in which the first day of September falls.