Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HB1370 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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3	3	State of Arkansas 1
4	4	95th General Assembly A Bill 2
5	5	Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1370 3
6	6	4
7	7	By: Representatives J. Mayberry, Cozart 5
8	8	6
9	9	7
10	10	For An Act To Be Entitled 8
11	11	AN ACT CONCERNING MAKING UP MISSED SCHOOL DAYS; TO 9
12	12	REQUIRE A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT TO INCLUDE 10
13	13	ADDITIONAL DAYS OR HOURS, AS APPLICABLE, IN ITS 11
14	14	SCHOOL CALENDAR FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING UP MISSED 12
15	15	SCHOOL DAYS; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 13
16	16	14
17	17	15
18	18	Subtitle 16
19	19	CONCERNING MAKING UP MISSED SCHOOL DAYS; 17
20	20	AND TO REQUIRE A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT 18
21	21	TO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL DAYS OR HOURS, AS 19
22	22	APPLICABLE, IN ITS SCHOOL CALENDAR FOR 20
23	23	THE PURPOSE OF MAKING UP MISSED SCHOOL 21
24	24	DAYS. 22
25	25	23
26	26	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 24
27	27	25
28	28	SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6 -10-127 is amended to read as follows: 26
29	29	6-10-127. Making up missed school days. 27
30	30	(a) If a superintendent closes school for a regularly scheduled school 28
31	31	day due to an exceptional or emergency circumstances such as a contagious 29
32	32	disease outbreak, inclement weather, or other acts of God circumstance, then 30
33	33	the superintendent may make up missed school days by adding time to the 31
34	34	beginning or ending end of a regular school day for a minimum of sixty (60) 32
35	35	minutes. 33
36	36	(b)(1) Each public school district shall include an additional five 34
37	37	(5) days or the hourly equivalent of five (5) days, as applicable, in the 35
38	38	public school district's annual school calendar. 36 HB1370
39	39
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41	41	(2) The additional five (5) days or the hourly equivalent of 1
42	42	five (5) days, as applicable, included in an annual school calendar under 2
43	43	subdivision (b)(1) of this section: 3
44	44	(A) Shall be used before an additional student attendance 4
45	45	day or its hourly equivalent under subsection (c) is granted by the 5
46	46	Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education; and 6
47	47	(B) May be used for: 7
48	48	(i) A day off school during a school week; or 8
49	49	(ii) A day unavoidably lost due to an exceptional or 9
50	50	emergency circumstance. 10
51	51	(b)(1) The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education (c)(1) 11
52	52	Upon using all five (5) school days or the hourly equivalent of five (5) 12
53	53	school days, as applicable, under subsection (b) of this section, the 13
54	54	commissioner may grant up to the equivalent of ten (10) five (5) student 14
55	55	attendance days or the hourly equivalent of five (5) student attendance days, 15
56	56	as applicable, for public school districts that have an alternative 16
57	57	instruction plan approved by the commissioner for the use of alternative 17
58	58	methods of instruction, including without limitation virtual learning, on 18
59	59	days when the a public school district is closed due to an exceptional or 19
60	60	emergency circumstances such as: circumstance 20
61	61	(A) A contagious disease outbreak, inclement weather, or 21
62	62	other acts of God; or 22
63	63	(B) A utility outage . 23
64	64	(2) The public school district's alternative instruction plan 24
65	65	shall demonstrate how teaching and learning in the public school district 25
66	66	will not be negatively impacted by the use of alternative methods of 26
67	67	instruction under subdivision (b)(1) (c)(1) of this section. 27
68	68	(d) If a public school district is closed due to an exceptional or 28
69	69	emergency circumstance for more than ten (10) student attendance days or the 29
70	70	hourly equivalent of ten (10) student attendance days, as applicable, in a 30
71	71	school year, then the public school district shall: 31
72	72	(1) Make up each student attendance day missed because of the 32
73	73	exceptional or emergency circumstance; or 33
74	74	(2) Submit a written application to the State Board of Education 34
75	75	requesting additional student attendance days or the hourly equivalent of the 35
76	76	requested additional student attendance days, as applicable, under 36 HB1370
77	77
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79	79	subdivision (c)(1) of this section if the public school district has an 1
80	80	alternative instruction plan approved by the commissioner for the use of 2
81	81	alternative methods of instruction, including without limitation virtual 3
82	82	learning. 4
83	83	(e) As used in this section, "exceptional or emergency circumstance" 5
84	84	means: 6
85	85	(1) A contagious disease outbreak; 7
86	86	(2) Inclement weather; 8
87	87	(3) Other acts of God; 9
88	88	(4) A utility outage; or 10
89	89	(5) Any other unforeseen circumstance caused or created by 11
90	90	humans, including without limitation an active shooter event or a threat of 12
91	91	an active shooter event, that acts as a principal cause of a public school 13
92	92	district's inability to conduct a portion of the minimum number of hours 14
93	93	required for a school day under § 6 -16-102. 15
94	94	16
95	95	SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-2403(c), concerning requirements to be 17
96	96	eligible to receive state funds to implement classroom teacher salary raises, 18
97	97	is amended to read as follows: 19
98	98	(c)(1) To Except as provided under subdivision (c)(2) of this section, 20
99	99	to be eligible for funds to implement the salary increases under subsections 21
100	100	(a) and (b) of this section, each public school district and open -enrollment 22
101	101	public charter school shall be open for on -site, in-person instruction for at 23
102	102	least: 24
103	103	(1)(A) One hundred seventy-eight (178) days; or 25
104	104	(2)(B) One thousand sixty-eight (1,068) hours. 26
105	105	(2) However, a student attendance day or its hourly equivalent, 27
106	106	as applicable, authorized under § 6 -10-127 for the use of alternative methods 28
107	107	of instruction when a public school district is closed due to an exceptional 29
108	108	or emergency circumstance shall count towards the required number of days or 30
109	109	hours, whichever the public school district uses, as required under 31
110	110	subdivision (c)(1) of this section. 32
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112	112	34
113	113	35
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