Present law generally requires each public school system to maintain a term of no less than 200 days, with at least 180 of such days for classroom instruction. This bill authorizes an LEA or public charter school to provide up to four days of such required days of classroom instruction via hybrid learning in the event of dangerous or extreme weather conditions, or an emergency, as determined by the director of schools or the director of the public charter school. This bill requires an LEA or public charter school that provides hybrid learning pursuant to this bill to provide (i) students enrolled in kindergarten access to at least four hours of instruction each day and (ii) students enrolled in grades 1-12 access to at least 6.5 hours of instruction each day. In tracking daily student attendance and compliance with state school attendance and truancy intervention laws, an LEA and public charter school must implement policies and procedures for the LEA or public charter school to request and receive daily visual, verbal, or written confirmation of student participation in instructional time; determine excused versus unexcused student absences; and implement interventions to address student absences during remote instruction. This bill also provides the following:  That each LEA and public charter school that provides hybrid learning pursuant to this bill must comply with all state and federal laws, rules, and policies.  That each LEA and public charter school must make services required by a student's individualized education program (IEP) available to the student on days that hybrid learning is provided pursuant to this bill.  That if an LEA or public charter school uses the maximum amount of days authorized for hybrid learning in a school year, then the LEA or public charter school may request the commissioner to authorize additional days for hybrid learning in the event of a natural disaster or serious outbreaks of illness affecting or endangering students or staff.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-6-3004