New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico House Bill HB238 Compare Versions

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

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28	28	HOUSE BILL 238
29	29	57
30	30	TH LEGISLATURE
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33	33	STATE
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35	35	OF
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37	37	NEW
38	38
39	39	MEXICO
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41	41	-
42	42	FIRST SESSION
43	43	,
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45	45	2025
46	46	INTRODUCED BY
47	47	Catherine J. Cullen and Joshua N. Hernandez
48	48	and Alan T. Martinez
49	49	AN ACT
50	50	RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS; ALLOWING UP TO SIXTY INSTRUCTIONAL
51	51	HOURS PER SCHOOL YEAR TO BE USED FOR PROFESSIONAL WORK HOURS
52	52	FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL GRADES.
53	53	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
54	54	SECTION 1. Section 22-2-8.1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1986,
55	55	Chapter 33, Section 2, as amended by Laws 2023, Chapter 19,
56	56	Section 1 and by Laws 2023, Chapter 84, Section 22) is amended
57	57	to read:
58	58	"22-2-8.1. SCHOOL YEAR--LENGTH OF SCHOOL DAY--MINIMUM.--
59	59	A. Except as otherwise provided in this section,
60	60	students shall be in school programs, exclusive of lunch, for a
61	61	minimum of one thousand one hundred forty instructional hours
62	62	per year, except half-day kindergarten, which shall have five
63	63	hundred fifty instructional hours per year.
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91	91	B. An instructional hour is a period at school
92	92	during which students receive instruction aligned to academic
93	93	content and performance standards and includes:
94	94	(1) a school program set forth in Sections
95	95	22-13-1 and 22-13-1.1 NMSA 1978;
96	96	(2) enrichment programs that focus on problem
97	97	solving and cognitive skills development;
98	98	(3) content that provides technical knowledge,
99	99	skills and competency-based applied learning;
100	100	(4) research- or evidence-based social,
101	101	emotional or academic interventions; and
102	102	(5) instruction that occurs at the same time
103	103	breakfast is served or consumed in accordance with the
104	104	breakfast after the bell program or federal requirements.
105	105	C. Up to sixty instructional hours per school year
106	106	for elementary, [grades and thirty instructional hours for ]
107	107	middle and high school grades may be used for professional work
108	108	hours, which may be embedded during the course of a normal
109	109	school day. A "professional work hour" means time during which
110	110	a teacher participates in professional work aligned to
111	111	challenging academic content and performance standards,
112	112	including:
113	113	(1) home visiting or parent-teacher
114	114	conferences;
115	115	(2) educator training or professional
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144	144	development; and
145	145	(3) mentorship, coaching and collaboration
146	146	between school employees.
147	147	D. Nothing in this section precludes a local school
148	148	board from setting a school year or the length of school days
149	149	in excess of the minimum requirements established by Subsection
150	150	A of this section.
151	151	E. The secretary may waive the minimum length of
152	152	school days in those school districts where such minimums would
153	153	create undue hardships as defined by the department as long as
154	154	the school year is adjusted to ensure that students in those
155	155	school districts receive the same total instructional time as
156	156	other students in the state.
157	157	F. Notwithstanding any other provision of this
158	158	section, provided that instruction occurs simultaneously, time
159	159	when breakfast is served or consumed pursuant to a state or
160	160	federal program shall be deemed to be time in a school-directed
161	161	program and is part of the instructional day.
162	162	G. Every general election and regular local
163	163	election shall be a school holiday for students and staff at
164	164	each public school in this state."
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166	166	.229804.1