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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the minimum amount of student instruction required to |
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be provided by school districts. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 25.081, Education Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsections (a), (b), (c), and (e) and adding Subsection |
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(a-1) to read as follows: |
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(a) Except as authorized under Subsection (b) of this |
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section, Section 25.084, or Section 29.0821, for each school year |
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each school district must operate so that the district provides for |
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at least, at the choice of the district: |
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(1) 75,600 minutes of instruction, including |
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intermissions and recesses, for students; or |
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(2) 180 days of instruction for students. |
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(a-1) Not later than May 1 of each year, each school |
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district shall notify the commissioner whether the district will |
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comply with Subsection (a) on the basis of minutes of instruction or |
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days of instruction. The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary |
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to administer this subsection. |
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(b) The commissioner may approve the instruction of |
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students for fewer than the number of minutes or days required under |
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Subsection (a) if disaster, flood, extreme weather conditions, fuel |
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curtailment, or another calamity causes the closing of schools. |
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(c) If the commissioner does not approve reduced |
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instruction time under Subsection (b), a school district may add |
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additional minutes to the end of the district's normal school hours |
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or additional days to the district's normal school calendar as |
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necessary to compensate for minutes or days of instruction lost due |
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to school closures caused by disaster, flood, extreme weather |
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conditions, fuel curtailment, or another calamity. |
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(e) For purposes of this code, a reference to a day of |
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instruction means a calendar day in which a student is scheduled for |
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and receives at least the minimum number of instructional hours |
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required for the student to be considered full-time for the purpose |
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of calculating average daily attendance under Section 42.005 [420
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minutes of instruction]. |
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SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2017-2018 |
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school year. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |