Current through February, 2024
Section 2310 Length of School Day and
Year
Section 2311 School Year
Each public school shall be maintained and operated for 175
student days unless waivers are granted by the Board as provided by
16 VSA §
1071.
2311.1 Days lost because schools are closed
for emergency reasons prior to February 1 of any year shall be rescheduled and
made up during that school year when such closing will result in a schedule of
less than 175 pupil attendance days for the year.
2311.2 Petitions for waivers of the 175
student attendance days shall be submitted to the Commissioner's office within
10 days as stipulated by law.
2311.3 Petitions received between February 1
and June 15 will be considered on a case-by-case basis. When a petition is
sought for emergency reasons, the State Board will consider the school
district's calendar to determine if a substantial number of contingency days
were included, particularly if the cause is inclement weather
conditions.
2311.4 School districts
shall include no fewer than five contingency days as annual school calendars
are developed and adopted.
2311.5
Day of Mourning. Whenever a National Day of Mourning falls on a regularly
scheduled day of school, the day shall be counted as a full day of
school.
Section 2312
Length of School Day
2312.1 Except as provided
in Rule 2311. 5, the school day shall be:
(a)
for kindergarten, a minimum of two instructional hours. However, in any
calendar week, five school days may be counted if the total number of hours of
instructional time is equal to or exceeds 10 hours per week.
(b) for grades 1-2, a minimum of four
instructional hours including recess, excluding lunch. However, in any calendar
week, five school days may be counted if the total number of hours of
instructional time is equal to or exceeds 20 hours, including recess, excluding
lunch.
(c) for grades 3-8, a
minimum of 5 1/2 instructional hours, including recess, excluding lunch.
However, in any calendar week, five school days may be counted if the total
number of hours of instructional time is equal to or exceeds 27 1/2 hours,
including recess, excluding lunch.
(d) for grades 9-12, a minimum of 5 1/2
instructional hours, exclusive of the time allowed for recess and lunch.
However, in any calendar week, five school days may be counted if the total
number of hours of instructional time is equal to or exceeds 27 1/2 hours,
exclusive of the time allowed for recess and lunch.
2312.2 Exceptions to Length of School Day
(a) Where the board of school directors has
found it necessary to delay the opening of the school day by up to two hours or
to send the pupils home after school has begun due to emergencies such as the
outbreak of a contagious disease, unsafe building conditions, hazardous
weather, high water, unsafe highways, or a fire, the day may be counted as a
full day of school.
(b) Upon
request of the board of school directors, the Commissioner may permit alternate
methods of counting the cumulative instructional hours set forth in subsection
2311.4 of this section where:
(1) overall,
students do not lose instructional time;
(2) students do not lose transportation to
and from school or to other educational programs during the school
day;
(3) students do not lose
access to related education programs such as technical or special education;
and
(4) it is otherwise in the
interests of the students and the district.
Section 2343 Vermont Secondary
Equivalency Program
Students who receive a standard score of 35 or above on each
of the five tests of the General Education Development Test and an average
standard score of 45 on all five tests will be entitled to a Vermont secondary
school equivalence certificate providing age and residence requirements are
met.
Vermont regulations require that an applicant for this
certificate offer satisfactory evidence of residence in this state and attain
18 years of age, or 16 years of age if the parent or guardian has given written
consent, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Application should be made
on a special form, available on request, to the State Department of
Education.
2344-2350 (Vacant)
Section 2350 Driver and Traffic Safety
Education Programs
2351. A driver education
program shall include an approved driver education course during regular school
hours as a part of the offerings of the regular school-day program.
2352. To be approved by the Department of
Education, a driver education course must consist of at least 30 clock-hours of
class instruction and at least 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction by a
certified driver education instructor. No more than 2 hours of classroom
instruction, and 1 hour of behind-the-wheel instruction shall be provided to a
student in one day.
Courses provided by secondary schools for persons above high
school age, who are unlicensed beginners, shall consist of at least 20
clock-hours of classroom instruction plus 6 or more clock-hours per student of
behind-the-wheel instruction or its equivalent.
2353. Unless the driver education course
offered to persons not regularly enrolled in high school is the course approved
by the Department of Education and the Department of Motor Vehicles in
accordance with the state law, the instruction becomes a "driver training
school" as defined in
23 VSA, Section
701, and the persons offering the course must
be specially licensed pursuant to
23 VSA,
Section 702. In either case, the instructor
must have a valid instructor's license. None of the expenses for this adult
program shall be included in the claims for reimbursement under the State High
School Driver Education Program.
2354. Behind-the-wheel instruction of pupils
on the Interstate Highway System in Vermont shall be conducted only near the
end of the required six clock-hours of in-car practice driving for each
student.
2355. Safety, insurance
and other legal requirements shall be met according to
23 VSA, Section
921.
Behind-the-wheel instruction of pupils on the Interstate
Highway System in Vermont shall be conducted only near the end of the required
six clock-hours of in-car practice driving for each student.
Statutory Authority:
16 V.S.A.
§§
164,
165,
241(A),
261(A),
1071
