MS HB540

Amends Mississippi Code Section 37-13-63 to establish an hour-based system for calculating the school year instead of solely using days, providing greater flexibility for school districts.

Allows school districts that exceed the required 5.5 hours of daily instructional time by an additional 0.5 hour to accumulate excess instructional time, capped at a maximum of 13 days per year.

Permits accumulated excess instructional time to be used for closures due to dangerous or extreme weather, natural disasters, serious illness outbreaks, or unsafe structural conditions, with State Board of Education approval.

Authorizes use of accumulated excess time for early student dismissal to allow faculty professional development, parent-teacher conferences, or similar meetings in whole-day increments.

Effective July 1, 2018, and grants the State Board of Education authority to approve proportional variations from the 0.5-hour daily extension and corresponding 13-day accumulation adjustments.