HB1370

House Bill 1370 mandates that all Arkansas public school districts incorporate at least seven additional days—or their hourly equivalent—into their annual academic calendars to account for potential emergency school closures. These days must be utilized before districts are eligible to apply for state-approved alternative instruction methods, such as virtual learning. The bill reduces the number of allowable alternative instruction days from ten to three, though districts may still apply for more if they experience closures exceeding ten days. It also broadens the definition of 'exceptional or emergency circumstances' to explicitly include events like active shooter incidents or threats thereof. Furthermore, the bill clarifies that days utilizing alternative instruction methods will count toward the mandatory 178-day or 1,068-hour instructional requirement for teacher salary funding eligibility. The legislation aims to standardize how districts manage and make up missed instructional time due to unforeseen disruptions.