H.B. No. 2610

	AN ACT
	relating to the minimum number of minutes of instruction for
	students to be provided by public school districts and the
	scheduling of the last day of school for students by public school
	districts.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Section 25.081, Education Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	Sec. 25.081.  OPERATION OF SCHOOLS. (a)  Except as
	authorized under Subsection (b) of this section, Section 25.084, or
	Section 29.0821, for each school year each school district must
	operate so that the district provides for at least 75,600 minutes
	[180 days] of instruction, including intermissions and recesses,
	for students.
	(b)  The commissioner may approve the instruction of
	students for fewer than the number of minutes [days] required under
	Subsection (a) if disaster, flood, extreme weather conditions, fuel
	curtailment, or another calamity causes the closing of schools.
	(c)  If the commissioner does not approve reduced
	instruction time under Subsection (b), a school district may add
	additional minutes to the end of the district's normal school hours
	as necessary to compensate for minutes of instruction lost due to
	school closures caused by disaster, flood, extreme weather
	conditions, fuel curtailment, or another calamity.
	(d)  The commissioner may adopt rules for the application, on
	the basis of the minimum minutes of instruction required by
	Subsection (a), of any provision of this title that refers to a
	minimum number of days of instruction under this section.
	(e)  For purposes of this code, a reference to a day of
	instruction means 420 minutes of instruction.
	SECTION 2.  Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Education Code, is
	amended by adding Section 25.0812 to read as follows:
	Sec. 25.0812.  LAST DAY OF SCHOOL. (a)  Except as provided
	by Subsection (b), a school district may not schedule the last day
	of school for students for a school year before May 15.
	(b)  Notwithstanding Subsection (a), a school district that
	does not offer each grade level from kindergarten through grade 12
	and whose prospective or former students generally attend school in
	another state for the grade levels the district does not offer may
	schedule the last day of school on any date permitted under
	Subsection (a) or the law of the other state.
	SECTION 3.  This Act applies beginning with the 2015-2016
	school year.
	SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
	______________________________	______________________________
	President of the Senate	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.B. No. 2610 was passed by the House on May
	11, 2015, by the following vote:  Yeas 136, Nays 0, 1 present, not
	voting.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House
	I certify that H.B. No. 2610 was passed by the Senate on May
	27, 2015, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0.
	______________________________
	Secretary of the Senate
	APPROVED:  _____________________
	Date
	_____________________
	Governor