The bill amends sections 3301.0732 and 3313.48 of the Revised Code to establish new minimum instructional hour requirements for nonchartered nonpublic schools and public school districts in Ohio. Specifically, it sets the minimum attendance hours for kindergarten pupils at four hundred fifty-fivefour hundred eighty-two hours, and for all-day kindergarten at nine hundred tennine hundred sixty-three hours. For grades one through six, the requirement is nine hundred tennine hundred sixty-three hours, and for grades seven through twelve, it is one thousand oneone thousand fifty-four hours. The bill also mandates that nonchartered nonpublic schools must report their compliance with these standards to parents and the Department of Education and Workforce annually. Additionally, the bill outlines the responsibilities of school boards regarding the scheduling of instructional hours and mandates public hearings prior to adopting school calendars. It prohibits reductions in instructional hours from the previous school year without board approval and requires consideration of the scheduling needs of joint vocational schools and community schools when making changes. The bill also clarifies that the Department of Education and Workforce cannot impose procedural requirements on chartered nonpublic schools that are applicable to school districts. Existing sections 3301.0732 and 3313.48 are repealed as part of this legislative update.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 3301.0732, 3313.48