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Committee advances bill allowing up to four virtual-instruction days after severe weather
Summary
The House Calendar and Rules Committee voted to place House Bill 1138 on Monday's regular calendar after members debated whether the measure creates additional snow days or simply authorizes up to four virtual-instruction days for local education agencies following disasters.
The Calendar and Rules Committee voted Thursday to place House Bill 1138 on Monday's regular calendar after members debated whether the bill creates additional snow days or lets local education agencies use virtual instruction for up to four days following severe weather or other events that prevent students from attending in person.
Chairman White summarized the bill for the committee, saying, “It allows an an LEA, if they would desire to, to take 4 of their required hundred and 880 days if there is a tornado, a snowstorm, or somewhere, say, some of the, children could not get to school, that the LEA would set up a a virtual accommodation.” The measure had been reported out of the education committee before reaching Calendar and Rules.
Members questioned how the measure would work in practice. Speaker Sexton asked whether the bill would offer districts an option they already use, noting a recent Cumberland County case: “Cumberland County, a couple weeks ago, use all their snow days. Then they had something else that happened, and they had 2 remote days that they used that did not account against them. What does this do differently than what they could have already done?”
Representative Clemons said the bill requires a request and authorization process: “This simply allows the LEA or public charter school to request the commission or authorize those additional days. So, this requires the request, and it doesn't count against them for that purpose so that they can continue to educate the children in the event of a natural disaster, but they would have to request that authorization.”
Committee members noted an outstanding point of clarification about whether the four virtual days are additional to a district's snow-day allotment. Chairman White said he did not expect districts to make widespread use of the provision but acknowledged the question: “From what I understand, it would, it did no. You don't get any extra snow days. It just allows you to use 4 of those days, through hybrid virtual.” A member added, “I am not sure about that. We need to confirm that.”
Representative Hardaway, identified in discussion as the bill sponsor, was not present to answer questions; members said they expected additional sponsor input before final consideration. After discussion, the committee voted to move House Bill 1138 to Monday's regular calendar.
The measure will next appear on the full committee calendar; the transcript does not record a roll-call tally or the names of the motion mover and seconder.
