The bill amends Section 22-2-8.1 of the New Mexico Statutes to clarify that local school boards and the governing bodies of charter schools have the authority to determine the total number of instructional days per year and the number of instructional days per week that students are required to attend school programs. This change emphasizes local control over school scheduling while maintaining the minimum requirement of one thousand one hundred forty instructional hours per year for students, with specific provisions for half-day kindergarten.

Additionally, the bill allows for up to sixty instructional hours per school year for elementary grades and thirty instructional hours for middle and high school grades to be allocated for professional work hours, which include activities such as teacher training and parent-teacher conferences. The legislation also states that time spent on breakfast during school hours can be counted as part of the instructional day, ensuring that students receive adequate instructional time. The act is set to apply to the 2025-2026 school year and declares an emergency for immediate effect.