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Policy committee highlights new state waiver option allowing minutes-based school calendars
Summary
Committee members noted a state flexibility waiver that would allow the district to adopt minutes-instruction rules instead of days, and asked staff to brief the board on waiver requirements and potential pilot ideas such as later start times or four-day student weeks.
Members of the Richmond Community Schools policy committee reviewed legislative updates that permit districts to seek a flexibility waiver to use minutes rather than days to meet instructional requirements and discussed potential scheduling options, including later start times and alternative calendars.
Why it matters: state guidance allows districts to apply for a waiver (flexibility request) so that instructional time can be measured in minutes across a school year rather than strictly by days. That flexibility can permit schedule innovations — for example, four-day student weeks, two-hour delays that still count as full days, or seasonal schedule adjustments — but requires a formal waiver application and state approval.
Discussion highlights: - Waiver mechanics: staff said districts must apply for the state’s flexibility waiver and meet minute-based requirements for the school year to avoid making up days for snow or closures. - Pilot options: committee members asked whether the district could pilot later start times in winter months, compressed weeks, or professional-development scheduling that leverages minute-based accounting; staff and counsel were asked to outline waiver requirements and constraints. - Next steps: staff were directed to provide more information about the waiver process and potential calendar models the district could pursue; the discussion was informational and no waiver application was submitted at the meeting.
Committee members said the change could give administrators more options for attendance, student wellness and professional development scheduling and requested a future briefing that lays out legal requirements, sample calendars and any implications for collective-bargaining agreements or state reporting.
