AR HB1370

Public school districts must include an additional 5 days (or hourly equivalent) in their annual school calendar specifically for making up missed school days due to exceptional or emergency circumstances

Districts must use these 5 built-in makeup days before the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education can grant additional student attendance days through alternative instruction plans

The Commissioner may grant up to 5 additional student attendance days (reduced from 10 under current law) for districts with approved alternative instruction plans, including virtual learning options

"Exceptional or emergency circumstance" is defined to include contagious disease outbreaks, inclement weather, acts of God, utility outages, and human-caused events such as active shooter situations

Alternative instruction days used during emergency closures count toward the 178-day (or 1,068-hour) requirement for districts to remain eligible for state funds for classroom teacher salary increases