as introduced - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 03/26/2021 01:54pm
A bill for an act
relating to education; renaming e-learning days; providing for unlimited distance
learning days; amending Minnesota Statutes 2020, sections 120A.41; 120A.414.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 120A.41, is amended to read:
(a) A school board's annual school calendar must include at least 425 hours of instruction
for a kindergarten student without a disability, 935 hours of instruction for a student in
grades 1 through 6, and 1,020 hours of instruction for a student in grades 7 through 12, not
including summer school. The school calendar for all-day kindergarten must include at least
850 hours of instruction for the school year. The school calendar for a prekindergarten
student under section 124D.151, if offered by the district, must include at least 350 hours
of instruction for the school year. A school board's annual calendar must include at least
165 days of instruction for a student in grades 1 through 11 unless a four-day week schedule
has been approved by the commissioner under section 124D.126.
(b) A school board's annual school calendar may include plans for deleted text begin up to five days of
instruction provided through online instruction due to inclement weather. The inclement
weatherdeleted text end new text begin an unlimited number of days of instruction provided through distance learning due
to weather or a health or natural disaster emergency. The distance learning new text end plans must be
developed according to section 120A.414.
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This section is effective for the 2021-2022 school year and later.
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Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 120A.414, is amended to read:
deleted text begin "E-learning day"deleted text end new text begin "Distance learning day" new text end means a school day
where a school offers full access to online instruction provided by students' individual
teachers due to deleted text begin inclementdeleted text end weathernew text begin or a health or natural disaster emergency as determined
by the school board or superintendentnew text end . A school district or charter school that chooses to
have deleted text begin e-learningdeleted text end new text begin distance learning new text end days may have deleted text begin up to five e-learningdeleted text end new text begin an unlimited number
of distance learning new text end days in one school year. deleted text begin An e-learningdeleted text end new text begin A distance learning new text end day is counted
as a day of instruction and included in the hours of instruction under section 120A.41.
A school board may new text begin use its 2020-2021 school year distance learning plan
or may new text end adopt deleted text begin an e-learningdeleted text end new text begin a distance learning new text end day plan after consulting with the exclusive
representative of the teachers. A charter school may adopt deleted text begin an e-learningdeleted text end new text begin a distance learning
new text end day plan after consulting with its teachers. The plan must include accommodations for
students without Internet access at home and for digital device access for families without
the technology or an insufficient amount of technology for the number of children in the
household. A school's deleted text begin e-learningdeleted text end new text begin distance learning new text end day plan must provide accessible options
for students with disabilities under chapter 125A.
A school district or charter school must notify parents and
students of the deleted text begin e-learningdeleted text end new text begin distance learning new text end day plan at the beginning of the school year.
On deleted text begin an e-learningdeleted text end new text begin a distance learning new text end day declared by the school,
a school district or charter school must notify parents and students at least two hours prior
to the normal school start time that students need to follow the deleted text begin e-learningdeleted text end new text begin distance learning
new text end day plan for that day.
Each student's teacher must be accessible both online and by
telephone during normal school hours on deleted text begin an e-learningdeleted text end new text begin a distance learning new text end day to assist
students and parents.
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This section is effective for the 2021-2022 school year and later.
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