1998 Legislation
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SENATE BILL NO. 1501 – Schools, instruction hrs, increased

SENATE BILL NO. 1501

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View Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



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Daily Data Tracking History



S1501......................................................by STATE AFFAIRS
SCHOOLS - INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS - Amends existing law to increase the minimum
number of instructional hours for grades kindergarten through twelve.

02/17    Senate intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/18    Rpt prt - to Educ
03/03    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/04    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/06    3rd rdg - PASSED - 23-8-4
      AYES--Andreason, Boatright, Branch, Bunderson, Burtenshaw, Cameron,
      Crow, Deide, Frasure, Geddes, Hansen, Ingram, Keough, King, Lee, Noh,
      Parry, Richardson, Riggs, Risch, Sandy, Sorensen, Twiggs
      NAYS--Darrington, Hawkins, McLaughlin, Schroeder, Stennett, Sweeney,
      Wheeler, Whitworth
      Absent and excused--Danielson, Dunklin, Ipsen, Thorne
    Floor Sponsor - Deide
    Title apvd - to House
03/09    House intro - 1st rdg - to Educ

Bill Text


S1501


                                                                        
 ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
Fifty-fourth Legislature                 Second Regular Session - 1998
                                                                        

                                      IN THE SENATE

                                   SENATE BILL NO. 1501

                                BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

 1                                        AN ACT
 2    RELATING TO GOVERNANCE OF SCHOOLS; AMENDING SECTION  33-512,  IDAHO  CODE,  TO
 3        INCREASE  THE  MINIMUM  NUMBER OF INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS FOR GRADES K THROUGH
 4        TWELVE.

 5    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:

 6        SECTION 1.  That Section 33-512, Idaho Code, be, and the  same  is  hereby
 7    amended to read as follows:

 8        33-512.  GOVERNANCE  OF SCHOOLS. The board of trustees of each school dis-
 9    trict shall have the following powers and duties:
10        1.  To fix the days of the year and the hours  of  the  day  when  schools
11    shall be in session. However:
12        (a)  Each school district shall annually adopt and implement a school cal-
13        endar  which  provides its students at each grade level with the following
14        minimum number of instructional hours:
15          Grades                             Hours
16          9-12                                99  101 0
17          4-8                                9 0  2 0
18          1-3                                8 1  3 0
19          K                                  4 5  6 0
20        (b)  School assemblies, testing and other instructionally related  activi-
21        ties  involving students directly may be included in the required instruc-
22        tional hours.
23        (c)  When approved by a local  school  board,  annual  instructional  hour
24        requirements stated in paragraph (a) may be reduced as follows:
25             (i)   Up  to  a  total  of twenty-two (22) hours to accommodate staff
26             development activities.
27             (ii)  Up to a total of eleven (11) hours of emergency school closures
28             due to adverse weather conditions and facility failures.
29        However, transportation to and from school, passing times between classes,
30        noninstructional recess and lunch periods shall not be included.
31        (d)  Student and staff activities related to the opening  and  closing  of
32        the  school  year,  grade reporting, program planning, staff meetings, and
33        other classroom and building management activities shall not be counted as
34        instructional time or in the reductions provided in paragraph (c)(1).
35        (e)  For multiple shift programs, this rule applies to each  shift  (i.e.,
36        each  student  must  have  access  to the minimum annual required hours of
37        instructions).
38        (f)  The instructional time requirement  for  grade  12  students  may  be
39        reduced  by  action  of  a local school board for an amount of time not to
40        exceed eleven (11) hours of instructional time.
41        (g)  The state superintendent of public instruction may grant an exemption
42        from the provisions of this section for an individual  building  within  a
43        district,  when    the  closure  of  that building, for unforeseen circum-


                                          2

 1        stances, does not affect the attendance of other buildings within the dis-
 2        trict.
 3        2.  To adopt and carry on, and provide for the financing of, a total  edu-
 4    cational  program  for  the  district.  Such programs in other than elementary
 5    school districts may include education programs for  out-of-school  youth  and
 6    adults; and such districts may provide classes in kindergarten;
 7        3.  To  provide, or require pupils to be provided with, suitable textbooks
 8    and supplies, and for advice on textbook selections  may  appoint  a  textbook
 9    adoption committee as provided in section 33-512A, Idaho Code;
10        4.  To protect the morals and health of the pupils;
11        5.  To exclude from school, children not of school age;
12        6.  To  prescribe  rules  for  the disciplining of unruly or insubordinate
13    pupils, such rules to be included in a district discipline code adopted by the
14    board of trustees and a summarized version thereof to be provided  in  writing
15    at  the beginning of each school year to the teachers and students in the dis-
16    trict in a manner consistent with the student's age, grade and level  of  aca-
17    demic achievement;
18        7.  To  exclude from school, pupils with contagious or infectious diseases
19    who are diagnosed or suspected as having a contagious or infectious disease or
20    those who are not immune and have been exposed to a contagious  or  infectious
21    disease;  and  to  close school on order of the state board of health or local
22    health authorities;
23        8.  To equip and maintain a suitable library or libraries in the school or
24    schools and to exclude therefrom, and from the  schools,  all  books,  tracts,
25    papers, and catechisms of sectarian nature;
26        9.  To  determine  school  holidays.  Any listing of school holidays shall
27    include not less than the following: New Year's Day,  Memorial  Day,  Indepen-
28    dence  Day,  Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Other days listed in section
29    73-108, Idaho Code, if the same shall fall on a school day, shall be  observed
30    with  appropriate  ceremonies;  and  any days the state board of education may
31    designate, following the proclamation by the governor, shall be  school  holi-
32    days;
33        10. To erect and maintain on each schoolhouse or school grounds a suitable
34    flagstaff  or  flagpole,  and display thereon the flag of the United States of
35    America on all days, except during inclement weather, when the  school  is  in
36    session;  and  for each Veterans Day, each school in session shall conduct and
37    observe an appropriate program of at least one (1)  class  period  remembering
38    and honoring American veterans;
39        11. To  prohibit  entrance  to each schoolhouse or school grounds, to pro-
40    hibit loitering in schoolhouses or on school grounds and to  provide  for  the
41    removal from each schoolhouse or school grounds of any individual or individu-
42    als  who disrupt the educational processes or whose presence is detrimental to
43    the morals, health, safety, academic learning or discipline of the  pupils.  A
44    person  who  disrupts the educational process or whose presence is detrimental
45    to the morals, health, safety, academic learning or discipline of  the  pupils
46    or  who  loiters  in  schoolhouses or on school grounds, is guilty of a misde-
47    meanor.
48        12. To supervise and regulate,  including  by  contract  with  established
49    entities,  those extracurricular activities which are by definition outside of
50    or in addition to the regular academic  courses  or  curriculum  of  a  public
51    school,  and  which extracurricular activities shall not be considered to be a
52    property, liberty or contract right of any student, and  such  extracurricular
53    activities  shall  not be deemed a necessary element of a public school educa-
54    tion, but shall be considered to be a privilege.
55        13. To govern the school district in compliance with state law  and  rules


                                          3

 1    of the state board of education.
 2        14. To  submit  to the superintendent of public instruction not later than
 3    July 1 of each year documentation which meets the  reporting  requirements  of
 4    the  federal  gun-free  schools  act  of  1994 as contained within the federal
 5    improving America's schools act of 1994.
 6        15. To require that all persons hired for the first time by  the  district
 7    or who have been in the employ of the district five (5) years or less, undergo
 8    a  criminal  history check as provided in section 33-130, Idaho Code. All such
 9    employees who are required to undergo a criminal history  check  shall  obtain
10    the  history  check  within  three  (3)  months of starting employment, or for
11    employees with five (5) years or less with  the  district,  within  three  (3)
12    months from the date such employee is notified that he must undergo a criminal
13    history  check.  Such  employees  shall  pay  the cost of the criminal history
14    check. If the criminal history check shows that the  employee  has  been  con-
15    victed  of  a felony crime enumerated in section 33-1208, Idaho Code, it shall
16    be grounds for immediate termination, dismissal or other personnel  action  of
17    the  district,  except  that  it  shall be the right of the school district to
18    evaluate whether an individual convicted of one (1) of these crimes and having
19    been incarcerated for that crime shall be hired. The district may require  any
20    or  all persons who have been employed continuously with the same district for
21    more than five (5) years, to undergo a criminal history check as  provided  in
22    section 33-130, Idaho Code. If the district elects to require criminal history
23    checks  of  such  employees,  the district shall pay the costs of the criminal
24    history check or reimburse employees for such cost.
25        16. Each board of trustees of a school district shall be  responsible  for
26    developing  a system for registering volunteers or contractors consistent with
27    maintaining a safe environment for their students.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


    





                            STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
    
                                 RS 07636C1
    
    The degree of learning a subject is directly proportional to 
    the time spent studying it. Assuming this fundamental premise 
    it is the purpose of this legislation to increase learning in 
    all of Idaho Public Schools by increasing the student/teacher 
    contact time by 20 hours for grades 1-12 and 10 hours for 
    kindergarten. This is a very modest increase in the minimal 
    number of instructional hours required. The increase can be 
    accommodated by an increase in the number of minutes in the 
    school day, or increase in the number of days in a school year 
    or some combination of both. These standards were established 
    in 1991 and were minimums. Since that date the minimums have 
    not changed but unfortunately there has been a tendency by 
    Idaho Public Schools to gravitate towards the minimum. This 
    modest increase will tend to curtail that trend and begin a 
    movement to a higher standard and more time for teachers to 
    teach students.
    
                                FISCAL NOTE
    
    This proposed increase in the minimal number of instructional 
    hours required in a school year can be achieved without 
    additional school days added to the school year. Since these 
    requirements are minimal standards, many school districts 
    presently without additions meet the new requirements as well. 
    For others a small adjustment in the length of the school day 
    may be required. Therefore, there will not be any f iscal impact .
    
    
    CONTACT: Senator Darrel Deide
              332-1343
    
    STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE
    
    S1501