House bill that would give KY school districts disaster relief days moves in Senate

A Kentucky House bill that would provide five days of relief from the required time students must be in class for this school year only was approved by a Senate committee Thursday.

House Bill 241, sponsored by state Rep. Timmy Truett, R-McKee, was approved by the Senate Education Committee with a 10-2 vote and now goes to the full Senate.

Truett said some districts have already extended their academic year through June 9 as a result of days lost to bad weather, disasters, sickness and unexpected safety concerns.

Under state law, Kentucky schools must have 170 days or 1,062 hours of instruction. The law also allows ten days of non-traditional or learning from home instruction. That usually includes virtual instruction or teachers sending home paper packets of assignments.

Multiple days of rain resulted in flooding across the state earlier this month. Snow storms in January and February closed many school districts, as did episodes of student and staff sickness. Some districts canceled classes as police searched for a suspect in an interstate shooting.

Fayette County Public Schools had used seven NTI days as of Feb. 20.

Under House Bill 241, for the 2024-2025 school year only, the Kentucky’s Commissioner of Education can grant five disaster relief or calamity days to school districts to provide instruction in alternate settings when the school districts are closed for health or safety reasons.

Kentucky Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher previously said he’s been asking lawmakers for five additional NTI days to make up for the days students have missed.

Under the bill, if a school district is unable to provide the required 1,062 instructional hours by June 4, the commissioner of education can waive up to five instructional days. Any school districts getting that waiver would have had to first make up days by adding time to each school day, the bill said.

Under a change approved Thursday by the Senate Education Committee, if a local board of education used 10 or fewer nontraditional instruction or NTI during the 2024-2025 school year and chooses not to take advantage of the other options for the 2024-2025 school year, the school district’s average daily attendance shall be calculated by deducting five low attendance days in addition to the five days deduction.

Lawmakers asked why some districts weren’t eliminating their previously planned days off to make up for the days they had to take of for weather and disasters.

Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, who voted no on the bill, and other lawmakers said Kentucky should evaluate how NTI is working.

“There’s nothing that takes the place of students being in the (classroom) seat,” agreed Truett.

However, he said 71 school districts have already used all 10 NTI days.