SECOND REGULAR SESSION
93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES BEARDEN (Sponsor), JETTON, ICET, DEMPSEY AND RUESTMAN (Co-sponsors).
Read 1st time March 2, 2006 and copies ordered printed.
STEPHEN S. DAVIS, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To repeal section 171.031, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to a standardized opening date for all public schools.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Section 171.031, RSMo, is repealed and one new section enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as section 171.031, to read as follows:
171.031. 1. Each school board shall prepare annually a calendar for the school term, specifying the opening date and providing a minimum term of at least one hundred seventy-four days and one thousand forty-four hours of actual pupil attendance.
2. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3 of this section and in school districts in which schools are in session for twelve months of each calendar year, the opening date for all public schools shall not be earlier than the Friday prior to the last Monday in August.
3. Upon submission of a petition signed by a number of qualified voters in the school district equal to at least five percent of the qualified voters in the school district voting in the last gubernatorial election, the voters of a school district may petition for an earlier opening date than specified in subsection 2 of this section. The question shall be submitted at the next date available to the school district for elections. If a majority of the votes cast on the question by the qualified voters voting thereon are in favor of the question, the specified opening date shall be applicable in the first succeeding and each subsequent school year. If a majority of the votes cast on the question by the qualified voters voting thereon are opposed to the question, the opening date shall not be earlier than date specified in subsection 2 of this section.
4. No school day shall be longer than seven hours except for vocational schools which may adopt an eight-hour day in a metropolitan school district and a school district in a first class county adjacent to a city not within a county.
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