South Carolina General Assembly
115th Session, 2003-2004

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Bill 3361

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

AMENDED

April 23, 2003

H. 3361

Introduced by Rep. Cato

S. Printed 4/23/03--S.    [SEC 4/24/03 6:27 PM]

Read the first time February 12, 2003.

            

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 59-1-430, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO SCHOOL MAKE-UP DAYS, SO AS TO FURTHER PROVIDE FOR THE PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS TO MAKE UP DAYS LOST BECAUSE OF WEATHER OR OTHER DISRUPTIONS.

Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Local school districts shall make every reasonable effort to make up days missed because of snow, extreme weather conditionS, or other emergency situations requiring schools to close. As part of their school calendars and after November 30th, all school districts are to provide for at least three make-up days. In the event that designated days have been used or are no longer available, the local school board may lengthen the hours of school operation, operate schools on Saturday, authorize a waiver to the requirements of Section 59-1-420, not to exceed five days, or a combination of these alternatives. A waiver to Section 59-1-420 must be authorized through a majority vote of the local school board. If a local school board authorizes make-up days on Saturdays, tutorial instruction normally offered on Saturday for seventh through twelfth graders must be scheduled at an alternative time.

Beginning with the 2004-2005 school year, the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT) in grades three through eight shall be administered annually in the second week of May as long as the return of data from the test is consistent with the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2003 and the South Carolina Accountability Act of 1998.

SECTION    2.    Section 59-19-90 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding an appropriately numbered subsection to read:

"( )    Establish the annual calendar. Have the authority to establish an annual school calendar for students, faculty, and staff to include starting dates, ending dates, holidays, make-up days, in-service days, and professional development days."

SECTION    3.    Chapter 18, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 59-18-1310.    The strategic plans and improvement reports required of the public schools and districts in Sections 59-18-1300, 59-18-1500, and 59-20-60 will be consolidated and reported as follows: district and school five-year plans and annual updates and district programmatic reports, and school reports developed in conjunction with the school improvement council to parents and constituents to include recommendations of any Education Accountability Act external review teams as approved by the State Board of Education and the steps being taken to address the recommendations, and the advertisement of this report are due on a date established by the Department of Education, but no later than April 30 annually; schools reviewed by external review teams shall prepare a report to the parents and constituents of the school to be developed in conjunction with the School Improvement Council and this report shall be provided and advertised no later than April 30 annually. The school report card narrative in Section 59-18-900 continues on its prescribed date."

SECTION    4.    Section 59-18-360 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 59-18-360.    The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Education Oversight Committee, shall provide for a cyclical review by academic area of the state standards and assessments to ensure that the standards and assessments are maintaining high expectations for learning and teaching. All academic areas must be initially reviewed by the year 2005. At a minimum, each academic area should be reviewed and updated every four seven years. After each academic area is reviewed, a report on the recommended revisions must be presented to the Education Oversight Committee for its consideration. After approval by the Education Oversight Committee, the recommendations may be implemented. As a part of the review, a task force of parents, business and industry persons, community leaders, and educators, to include special education teachers, must examine the standards and assessment system to determine rigor and relevancy."

SECTION    5.    Chapter 63, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 59-63-333.    The State Department of Education shall conform the requirements of Sections 59-63-310 through 59-63-340 on school crime so as to fulfill the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Section 7912) which includes reports on persistently dangerous schools and on the frequency, seriousness, and incidence of violence and drug-related offenses resulting in suspensions and expulsions in elementary and secondary schools. A summary of the provisions of Article 4, Chapter 63 of Title 59 and Section 16-3-612 required to be included in the school's student handbook each year shall be revised to conform with the requirements of this section."

SECTION    6.    Section 59-5-71 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 356 of 2002, is repealed.

SECTION    7.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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