HARRISBURG – In response to educators and school districts asking for more flexibility in providing educational opportunities for PA students, the PA House unanimously approved legislation to change the instructional time requirement to 180 days or 990 secondary and 900 elementary hours. Current law dictates schools provide 180 days of instruction per school year. However, a school board is permitted to request a school week be comprised of 27.5 hours as the equivalent for five school days. The Secretary of Education can also approve, upon request, a school term containing a minimum of 990 secondary or 900 elementary hours of instruction as the equivalent of 180 school days. House Bill 1507 would remove the approval process and automatically set the standard of 180 days or 990 secondary and 900 elementary hours. Bill supporters say doing so gives much needed flexibility in the way in which school districts, intermediate units, and career and technical centers schedule instructional time. The measure now goes to the state Senate for consideration.
