PRINTER'S NO. 30
No. 26 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY McILHATTAN, FARGO, HUTCHINSON, BELARDI, MAITLAND,
BOSCOLA, S. H. SMITH, TRELLO, ARMSTRONG, TIGUE, PISTELLA,
HERSHEY, FEESE, PHILLIPS, BARLEY, STAIRS AND ALLEN,
JANUARY 27, 1997
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JANUARY 27, 1997
AN ACT
1 Providing for alternatives to achieve 180 days of instruction
2 for school districts of the third class affected by flash
3 floods occurring July 19, 1996.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Flash flood emergency 1996.
7 (a) General authorization.--As an alternative to achieving
8 180 days of instruction as required under section 1501 of the
9 act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public
10 School Code of 1949, for the 1996-1997 school year only, the
11 Secretary of Education shall authorize, without need of
12 application, each school district of the third class affected by
13 flash floods occurring July 19, 1996, to have the option of
14 computing instructional time on an hourly basis of 990 hours or
15 a daily basis, including Saturdays, selected by the district.
16 (b) Religious observance exceptions.--The chief commissioned
17 officer of the school district which exercises the authority
1 granted under subsection (a) shall excuse a student to observe
2 or participate in a religious activity or function upon the
3 written notification of the observance or participation by the
4 student's parent or guardian. A student's absence from school
5 pursuant to this subsection shall be considered an instructional
6 day and shall not be recorded as an absence on the student's
7 attendance record or on the record of any group or class of
8 which the student is a member. There shall be no penalty
9 attached for any absences pursuant to this subsection.
10 (c) Payment of teachers' salaries.--No temporary
11 professional or professional employee of any school closed by
12 reason of the flash floods occurring July 19, 1996, shall
13 receive more or less compensation than that to which the
14 employee would otherwise have been entitled to receive from the
15 school district had the flash flood occurring July 19, 1996, not
16 occurred.
17 Section 2. Documentation.
18 Each school district which elects to compute instructional
19 time on an hourly basis shall submit documentation to the
20 Secretary of Education verifying the completion of the required
21 hours of instruction.
22 Section 3. Repeal.
23 Section 1502 of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14),
24 known as the Public School Code of 1949, is repealed to the
25 extent it is inconsistent with this act.
26 Section 4. Effective date.
27 This act shall take effect immediately.
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