Bill Changes Oklahoma School Hours

Big changes could be coming to some Oklahoma schools. A new state law now allows local districts to choose how the school year is calculated, either in days or hours.

Monday, April 27th 2009, 6:35 pm

By: News 9


By Kirsten McIntyre, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Big changes could be coming to some Oklahoma schools. A new state law now allows local districts to choose how the school year is calculated, either in days or hours.

Until the governor signed the law this weekend, students were required to spend 180 days in the classroom. But this new law gives districts another option.

When bad weather hits Oklahoma it's not uncommon for students to miss time in the classroom. If districts didn't plan for snow days, students typically make it up at the end of the school year adding more days at a time when the summer break can't come soon enough.

"I think in many cases we have school districts who make the decision to go ahead and have school on those days when they probably don't have any business having busses out on the road," Rep. Jeff Hickman (R-District 58) said.

Hickman wrote the legislation that is now a new state law.

Beginning next year, districts can chose between the traditional 180 six hour days in the classroom or 1,080 hours of instruction.

"In some places it may be a four day week after Spring Break, some may want to make up time by extending school days, it really gives control back to the districts to make their decision on how they get their instruction time in," Jeff Mills with the Oklahoma State School Board's Association said.

Going to a four day school week could create a few new issues such as daycare for working parents.

"I think that will be an issue that the local board, local administration will have to address because you know there are a lot of working parents out there," Mills said.

Shelly Hickman, who's no relation to the lawmaker who wrote the bill, says State Superintendent Sandy Garrett isn't for or against the new law. She simply wants students to get the best education possible.

"The clear trend nationally is that we're requiring more of our students, and they probably need more time in class," Hickman said.

Districts have until September 15 to choose how they want to calculate their school year, either by days or hours. Once that decision is made it can't be changed until the following year.

The new law also takes into account school districts that missed school this year to the bad weather. Districts can now choose to make up the days by adding hours.

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