SF 1317

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:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2020, 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 up to five days of
instruction provided through online instruction due to inclement weather. The inclement
weather an unlimited number of days of instruction provided through distance learning due
to weather or a health or natural disaster emergency. The distance learning plans must be
developed according to section 120A.414.

EFFECTIVE DATE.

This section is effective for the 2021-2022 school year and later.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 120A.414, is amended to read:

120A.414 E-LEARNING DISTANCE LEARNING DAYS.

Subdivision 1.

Days.

"E-learning day" "Distance learning day" means a school day
where a school offers full access to online instruction provided by students' individual
teachers due to inclement weather or a health or natural disaster emergency as determined
by the school board or superintendent. A school district or charter school that chooses to
have e-learning distance learning days may have up to five e-learning an unlimited number
of distance learning days in one school year. An e-learning A distance learning 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 use its 2020-2021 school year distance learning plan
or may adopt an e-learning a distance learning day plan after consulting with the exclusive
representative of the teachers. A charter school may adopt an e-learning a distance learning
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 e-learning distance learning 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 e-learning distance learning day plan at the beginning of the school year.

Subd. 4.

Daily notice.

On an e-learning a distance learning 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 e-learning distance learning
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 an e-learning a distance learning day to assist
students and parents.

EFFECTIVE DATE.

This section is effective for the 2021-2022 school year and later.