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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the minimum number of minutes of instruction for |
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students to be provided by public school districts and the |
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scheduling of the last day of school for students by public school |
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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 to |
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read as follows: |
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Sec. 25.081. OPERATION OF SCHOOLS. (a) Except as |
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authorized under Subsection (b) of this section, Section 25.084, or |
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Section 29.0821, for each school year each school district must |
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operate so that the district provides for at least 75,600 minutes |
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[180 days] of instruction, including intermissions and recesses, |
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for students. |
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(b) The commissioner may approve the instruction of |
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students for fewer than the number of minutes [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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as necessary to compensate for minutes of instruction lost due to |
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school closures caused by disaster, flood, extreme weather |
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conditions, fuel curtailment, or another calamity. |
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(d) The commissioner may adopt rules for the application, on |
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the basis of the minimum minutes of instruction required by |
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Subsection (a), of any provision of this title that refers to a |
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minimum number of days of instruction under this section. |
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(e) For purposes of this code, a reference to a day of |
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instruction means 420 minutes of instruction. |
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SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 25, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 25.0812 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 25.0812. LAST DAY OF SCHOOL. (a) Except as provided |
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by Subsection (b), a school district may not schedule the last day |
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of school for students for a school year before May 15. |
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(b) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), a school district that |
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does not offer each grade level from kindergarten through grade 12 |
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and whose prospective or former students generally attend school in |
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another state for the grade levels the district does not offer may |
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schedule the last day of school on any date permitted under |
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Subsection (a) or the law of the other state. |
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SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2015-2016 |
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school year. |
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SECTION 4. 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, 2015. |
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* * * * * |