House Passes ‘Return to Learn’ Plan

Liz Gullett

Jul 24, 2020

This week the House passed legislation aimed at providing flexibility for schools as they prepare for the new school year. The plan allows for school districts and local health departments to work together to develop health and safety standards that are best for their area. This includes the choice for continued distance learning or in-person education. Additional aspects of the plan include:

- Redefines the word “attendance” to mean “engaged in instruction” rather than “physically present,” allowing schools to be innovative and give students the opportunity to learn outside the classroom.
- Limits the use of snow days to encourage the use of remote instruction when in-person instruction is unsafe or unsuitable. Moving forward, schools would be granted just two forgiven days of instruction per year.
- Utilizes benchmark assessments to provide detailed information to parents and teachers about where a student needs additional help, ensuring kids do not fall behind in the wake of the public health crisis.
- Requires school districts to work with local health departments to establish safety requirements for extracurricular activities and sports in addition to regular school safety measures.

The bill package has been referred to the Senate Education and Career Readiness Committee for consideration.

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