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H 8326Education

Education - School Committees and Superintendents

Allows public schools to skip making up school days missed due to Governor-declared states of emergency.

Introduced71 Yea0 Nay4 Not voting
Population
Affected
45
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 20, 2026Committee House Education

Plain-English Summary

This legislation modifies the requirements for public school calendars in Rhode Island during declared states of emergency. Currently, schools must meet a minimum number of instructional days, often requiring them to extend the school year to make up for weather-related closures. Under this bill, if the Governor declares a state of emergency (such as for a hurricane or blizzard) and schools are closed, those missed days are automatically excused. School districts will not need to request waivers from the Department of Education, nor will they be required to add extra days to the end of the school year to make up the time.

For younger readers

Sometimes, schools have to close because of big storms or dangerous weather. Usually, if you miss school days during the year, you have to go to school extra days in the summer to make up for it. This new rule says that if the Governor decides the weather is a big emergency and schools must close, you do not have to make up those missed days later. This means your summer vacation would start on time, even if you had snow days during a big emergency.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
StudentsParents and GuardiansTeachersSchool AdministratorsSchool Support Staff
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Prioritizes the safety and well-being of students, teachers, and staff by removing the pressure to keep schools open during hazardous conditions simply to avoid extending the school year.
  • Provides economic stability for working-class families who rely on predictable school calendars for childcare and employment, avoiding last-minute disruptions caused by extending the school year into the summer.
  • Recognizes the mental health needs of the school community by preserving scheduled breaks and summer recess, rather than eroding downtime to meet bureaucratic quotas during crisis years.
  • Reduces total instructional time for students, which can disproportionately negatively impact disadvantaged children who rely on the classroom environment to close the achievement gap.
  • Eliminates access to critical social services, such as free school meals and counseling, for the duration of the cancelled days without a mandate to replace that support time.
  • Risks widening educational inequities if lower-income districts, which may have older infrastructure susceptible to weather closures, miss significantly more school days than wealthier districts without making up the learning loss.
For Conservatives
  • Reduces government bureaucracy and administrative red tape by eliminating the requirement for local school districts to petition the state Department of Education for waivers.
  • Promotes fiscal responsibility by avoiding the operational costs associated with extending the school year, such as transportation, utilities, and hourly staff wages for makeup days.
  • Reinforces the authority of the Governor's office to manage state emergencies and establishes a clear, orderly process for institutions to follow during such declarations.
  • Represents a potential waste of taxpayer dollars by paying salaried school staff for days they are not working and not requiring them to make up the service time.
  • Lowers educational standards and accountability by permitting schools to operate below the legally established minimum number of instructional days.
  • Prioritizes convenience over the work ethic and discipline required to ensure students receive the full education funded by the public.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 18 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 16-2 of the General Laws entitled "School Committees and Superintendents [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 16-2-3.1. School calendar flexibility during declared states of emergency.

(a) Notwithstanding any general or special law, rule, or regulation requiring a minimum number of school days or instructional hours for public schools in the state, any day or days during which a public school is closed due to a state of emergency declared by the governor of the State of Rhode Island shall be deemed excused for purposes of compliance with the minimum school days calendar requirements,

(b) School districts and public schools shall not be required to submit individual waiver requests to the Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education for instructional days missed as a result of a declared state of emergency.

(c) Any school day canceled due to a declared state of emergency shall not be required to be made up by extending the school year, adding additional school days, or otherwise modifying the approved school calendar.

(d) The commissioner of elementary and secondary education may issue general guidance to school districts regarding emergency closures, but shall not require individual waivers for closures occurring during the officially declared state of emergency period.

(e) The provisions of this section shall apply only to school closures resulting directly from a natural disaster, severe weather event, public safety emergency, or other emergency conditions for which the governor has issued an official state of emergency declaration.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.