Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Arkansas General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
1 State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H3/3/25
2 95th General Assembly
A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1370
4
5 By: Representatives J. Mayberry, Cozart
6
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT CONCERNING MAKING UP MISSED SCHOOL DAYS; TO
10 REQUIRE A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT TO INCLUDE
11 ADDITIONAL DAYS OR HOURS, AS APPLICABLE, IN ITS
12 SCHOOL CALENDAR FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING UP MISSED
13 SCHOOL DAYS; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
14
15
16 Subtitle
17 CONCERNING MAKING UP MISSED SCHOOL DAYS;
18 AND TO REQUIRE A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
19 TO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL DAYS OR HOURS, AS
20 APPLICABLE, IN ITS SCHOOL CALENDAR FOR
21 THE PURPOSE OF MAKING UP MISSED SCHOOL
22 DAYS.
23
24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
25
26 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 6-10-127 is amended to read as follows:
27 6-10-127. Making up missed school days.
28 (a) If a superintendent closes school for a regularly scheduled school
29 day due to an exceptional or emergency circumstances such as a contagious
30 disease outbreak, inclement weather, or other acts of God circumstance, then
31 the superintendent may make up missed school days by adding time to the
32 beginning or ending end of a regular school day for a minimum of sixty (60)
33 minutes.
34 (b)(1) Each public school district shall include an additional seven
35 (7) days or the hourly equivalent of seven (7) days, as applicable, in the
36 public school district's annual school calendar.
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1 (2) The additional seven (7) days or the hourly equivalent of
2 seven (7) days, as applicable, included in an annual school calendar under
3 subdivision (b)(1) of this section:
4 (A) Shall be used before an additional student attendance
5 day or its hourly equivalent under subsection (c) is granted by the
6 Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education; and
7 (B) May be used for:
8 (i) A day off school during a school week; or
9 (ii) A day unavoidably lost due to an exceptional or
10 emergency circumstance.
11 (b)(1) The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education (c)(1)
12 Upon using all seven (7) school days or the hourly equivalent of seven (7)
13 school days, as applicable, under subsection (b) of this section, the
14 commissioner may grant up to the equivalent of ten (10) three (3) student
15 attendance days or the hourly equivalent of three (3) student attendance
16 days, as applicable, for public school districts that have an alternative
17 instruction plan approved by the commissioner for the use of alternative
18 methods of instruction, including without limitation virtual learning, on
19 days when the a public school district is closed due to an exceptional or
20 emergency circumstances such as: circumstance
21 (A) A contagious disease outbreak, inclement weather, or
22 other acts of God; or
23 (B) A utility outage.
24 (2) The public school district's alternative instruction plan
25 shall demonstrate how teaching and learning in the public school district
26 will not be negatively impacted by the use of alternative methods of
27 instruction under subdivision (b)(1) (c)(1) of this section.
28 (d) If a public school district is closed due to an exceptional or
29 emergency circumstance for more than ten (10) student attendance days or the
30 hourly equivalent of ten (10) student attendance days, as applicable, in a
31 school year, then the public school district shall:
32 (1) Make up each student attendance day missed because of the
33 exceptional or emergency circumstance; or
34 (2) Submit a written application to the State Board of Education
35 requesting additional student attendance days or the hourly equivalent of the
36 requested additional student attendance days, as applicable, under
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1 subdivision (c)(1) of this section if the public school district has an
2 alternative instruction plan approved by the commissioner for the use of
3 alternative methods of instruction, including without limitation virtual
4 learning.
5 (e) As used in this section, "exceptional or emergency circumstance"
6 means:
7 (1) A contagious disease outbreak;
8 (2) Inclement weather;
9 (3) Other acts of God;
10 (4) A utility outage; or
11 (5) Any other unforeseen circumstance caused or created by
12 humans, including without limitation an active shooter event or a threat of
13 an active shooter event, that acts as a principal cause of a public school
14 district's inability to conduct a portion of the minimum number of hours
15 required for a school day under � 6-16-102.
16
17 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 6-17-2403(c), concerning requirements to be
18 eligible to receive state funds to implement classroom teacher salary raises,
19 is amended to read as follows:
20 (c)(1) To Except as provided under subdivision (c)(2) of this section,
21 to be eligible for funds to implement the salary increases under subsections
22 (a) and (b) of this section, each public school district and open-enrollment
23 public charter school shall be open for on-site, in-person instruction for at
24 least:
25 (1)(A) One hundred seventy-eight (178) days; or
26 (2)(B) One thousand sixty-eight (1,068) hours.
27 (2) However, a student attendance day or its hourly equivalent,
28 as applicable, authorized under � 6-10-127 for the use of alternative methods
29 of instruction when a public school district is closed due to an exceptional
30 or emergency circumstance shall count towards the required number of days or
31 hours, whichever the public school district uses, as required under
32 subdivision (c)(1) of this section.
33
34 /s/J. Mayberry
35
36
3 03-03-2025 10:21:57 TNL166Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.