SF 2409

as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 03/03/2023 09:51am

A bill for an act
relating to education; providing for distance learning days; amending Minnesota
Statutes 2022, sections 120A.41; 120A.414.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 120A.41, is amended to read:

120A.41 LENGTH OF SCHOOL YEAR; HOURS OF INSTRUCTION.

(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
weather deleted 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.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for the 2022-2023 school year and later.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 120A.414, is amended to read:

120A.414 deleted text begin E-LEARNING deleted text end new text begin DISTANCE LEARNING new text end DAYS.

Subdivision 1.

Days.

" deleted text begin E-learning deleted text end new text begin Distance learning new text end day" means a school day where a
school offers full access to online instruction provided by students' individual teachers due
to deleted text begin inclement deleted text end weather new text begin or a health or natural disaster emergency as determined by the school
board or superintendent new text end . A school district or charter school that chooses to have deleted text begin e-learning deleted text end new text begin
distance learning new text end days may have deleted text begin up to five e-learning deleted text end new text begin an unlimited number of distance
learning new text end days in one school year. deleted text begin An e-learning deleted 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.

Subd. 2.

Plan.

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-learning deleted 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-learning deleted 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-learning deleted text end new text begin distance learning new text end day plan must provide accessible options
for students with disabilities under chapter 125A.

Subd. 3.

Annual notice.

A school district or charter school must notify parents and
students of the deleted text begin e-learning deleted text end new text begin distance learning new text end day plan at the beginning of the school year.

Subd. 4.

Daily notice.

On deleted text begin an e-learning deleted 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-learning deleted text end new text begin distance learning new text end
day plan for that day.

Subd. 5.

Teacher access.

Each student's teacher must be accessible both online and by
telephone during normal school hours on deleted text begin an e-learning deleted text end new text begin a distance learning new text end day to assist
students and parents.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for the 2022-2023 school year and later.
new text end