A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FLEXIBILITY TO WARREN COUNTY SCHOOLS IN ADOPTING THE SCHOOL CALENDAR.
Whereas, State law has usurped local control of school calendars by imposing a one‑size‑fits‑all mandate on when the year can begin and end for traditional public schools; and
Whereas, the State‑mandated, late‑August start date combined with the instructional time requirement means that high schools cannot complete the first semester until mid‑January; and
Whereas, completing the first semester in mid‑January results in high school students having to take first semester exams after winter break, which can negatively impact their preparation and performance; and
Whereas, the State‑mandated, late‑August start date puts high school calendars out of alignment with community colleges and four‑year universities, which typically begin the first semester in early August and the second semester weeks before high school students complete the fall semester; and
Whereas, superintendents have reported that the calendar misalignment creates barriers for high school students who want to take community college courses and creates challenges for high school students who graduate early; and
Whereas, the late‑August start date and mid‑June end date squeeze local school administrative units, particularly those in mountain counties, that need to schedule makeup days for inclement weather closings, leaving them no recourse but to schedule makeup days on unpopular days like holidays, Saturdays, or spring break days; and
Whereas, practices and tryouts for interscholastic sports can start as early as August 1, and many student‑athletes are required to be available, while some sports, such as football, have already played games before the school year has started, negatively impacting ticket and booster club revenues; and
Whereas, the late‑August start date and other requirements of the calendar law make it more difficult for school districts to schedule professional development days during the school year, when it is most beneficial to teachers; and
Whereas, the North Carolina General Statutes give the powers of supervision and control of local school systems to local boards of education; and
Whereas, allowing local boards of education to have additional flexibility with setting a start date for their school calendar will help alleviate the issues delineated above while giving more authority to the locally elected bodies statutorily empowered to govern their school systems; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑84.2(d) reads as rewritten:
"(d)	Opening and Closing Dates. – Local boards of education shall determine the dates of opening and closing the public schools under subdivision (a)(1) of this section. Except for year‑round schools, the opening date for students shall be no earlier than the Monday closest to August 10, and the closing date for students shall be no later than the Friday closest to June 11.A local board may revise the scheduled closing date if necessary in order to comply with the minimum requirements for instructional days or instructional time.
The required opening and closing dates under this subsection shall not apply to any school that a local board designated as having a modified calendar for the 2003‑2004 school year or to any school that was part of a planned program in the 2003‑2004 school year for a system of modified calendar schools, so long as the school operates under a modified calendar."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑174.12(a)(4) reads as rewritten:
"(4)	All annual assessments of student achievement adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S. 115C‑174.11(c)(1) and (3) and all final exams for courses shall be administered within the final 10 instructional days of the school year for year‑long courses and within the final five instructional days of the semester for semester courses. Exceptions shall be permitted to accommodate a student's individualized education program and section 504 (29 U.S.C. § 794) plans and for the administration of final exams for courses with national or international curricula required to be held at designated times. A local board of education that has implemented a school calendar that concludes the fall semester prior to December 31 shall be permitted to administer assessments prior to the conclusion of that semester."
SECTION 3.  This act applies only to Warren County Schools. 
SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2017‑2018 school year.