Brief (1)
Senate Sub. for HB 2155 permits the State Board of Education to waive the minimum school term requirement for a school district that has experienced a disaster such that it cannot reasonably adjust its schedule to comply with the law.
The procedure requires the school district to certify to the State Board that a disaster has caused widespread or severe property damage which will exist for an inordinate period of time. The State Board then determines whether the district can reasonably adjust its schedule to comply with the minimum school term requirement of the law. If the State Board determines that the district cannot make the adjustment, the Board will grant a waiver for the period of time that school is not maintained by the district due to conditions resulting from the disaster.
For purposes of this law, "disaster" means the occurrence of widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property resulting from any natural or manmade cause, including but not limited to fire, flood, earthquake, tornado, wind, storm, epidemic, air contamination, blight, drought, infestation, or explosion.
This provision becomes effective upon publication in the Kansas Register
Background
As introduced, HB 2155 proposed to amend laws that prescribe conditions for imposing on a pupil a one-year expulsion from school and a one-year suspension of a pupil's driver's license or revocation of the driving privilege for possession of certain types of weapons at school, on school property, or at a school supervised activity. The definition of the term "weapon" in these laws was to be expanded to include an electronic device designed to discharge immobilizing levels of electricity (stun gun).
The concept contained in HB 2155 was incorporated into HB 2289 which has been enacted.
The Senate amended the bill as described in the brief (above). The Senate amendment were requested on behalf of Hoisington (USD 431) as a result of the devastating tornado that struck the city on April 21 and damaged the high school as well as some 569 residences.
1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/fulltext.cgi