HB 145: Regards the minimum number of hours in a school year

As Introduced

136th General Assembly Regular Session H. B. No. 145 2025-2026

Representative Bird

Cosponsors: Representatives Williams, Johnson, Daniels, McClain, Hiner, John, Creech

A B I L L

To amend sections 3301.0732 and 3313.48 of the 1
Revised Code regarding the minimum number of 2
hours in a school year. 3

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That sections 3301.0732 and 3313.48 of the 4
Revised Code be amended to read as follows: 5
Sec. 3301.0732. The minimum education standards prescribed 6
by the director of education and workforce for nonchartered 7
nonpublic schools under section 3301.07 of the Revised Code 8
shall comply with and shall be limited to this section. 9
(A) A nonchartered nonpublic school that is not seeking a 10
charter from the department of education and workforce because 11
of truly held religious beliefs shall annually certify in a 12
report to the parents of its pupils that the school meets 13
minimum education standards for nonchartered nonpublic schools 14
as described in this section. A copy of the report shall be 15
filed with the department of education and workforce on or 16
before the thirtieth day of September of each year. 17

H. B. No. 145 As Introduced

(B) A nonchartered nonpublic school shall be open for 18
instruction with pupils in attendance for not less than four 19
hundred fifty-fiveeighty-two hours in the case of pupils in 20
kindergarten unless such pupils are provided all-day 21
kindergarten, in which case the pupils shall be in attendance 22
for nine hundred tensixty-three hours; nine hundred tensixty- 23
three hours in the case of pupils in grades one through six; and 24
one thousand onefifty-four hours in the case of pupils in grades 25
seven through twelve in each school year. 26
(C) The parents of a child enrolled in a nonchartered 27
nonpublic school shall be responsible for reporting their 28
child's enrollment or withdrawal from that school to the 29
treasurer of the board of education of the city, exempted 30
village, or local school district in which the pupil resides. 31
Pupil attendance is reported for the purposes of facilitating 32
the administration of laws relating to compulsory education and 33
the employment of minors. An individual in charge of the 34
nonchartered nonpublic school may, as a matter of convenience, 35
provide the report to the treasurer on behalf of the parents. 36
The attendance report shall include the name, age, and 37
place of residence of each pupil below eighteen years of age. 38
The report shall be made within the first two weeks of the 39
beginning of each school year. In the case of pupil withdrawal 40
or entrance during the school year, notice shall be given to the 41
treasurer of the appropriate board of education within the first 42
week of the next school month. 43
(D) Teachers and administrators at nonchartered nonpublic 44
schools shall hold at least a bachelor's degree, or the 45
equivalent, from a recognized college or university. 46

(E) The curriculum of each nonchartered nonpublic school 47

H. B. No. 145 As Introduced

shall include the study of the following subjects: 48
(1) Language arts; 49
(2) Geography, the history of the United States and Ohio, 50
and national, state, and local government; 51
(3) Mathematics; 52
(4) Science; 53
(5) Health; 54
(6) Physical education; 55
(7) The fine arts, including music; 56
(8) First aid, safety, and fire prevention; 57
(9) Other subjects as prescribed by the nonchartered 58
nonpublic school. 59
(F) Each nonchartered nonpublic school shall follow 60
regular procedures for promotion from grade to grade for pupils 61
who have met the school's educational requirements. 62
(G) Each nonchartered nonpublic school shall comply with 63
all applicable health, fire, and safety laws. 64
(H) Pupils attending a nonchartered nonpublic school shall 65
not be entitled to pupil transportation or auxiliary services. A 66
nonchartered nonpublic school is not entitled to reimbursement 67
for administrative costs. 68
Sec. 3313.48. (A) The board of education of each city, 69
exempted village, local, and joint vocational school district 70
shall provide for the free education of the youth of school age 71
within the district under its jurisdiction, at such places as 72
will be most convenient for the attendance of the largest number 73

H. B. No. 145 As Introduced

thereof. Each school so provided and each chartered nonpublic 74
school shall be open for instruction with pupils in attendance, 75
including scheduled classes, supervised activities, and approved 76
education options but excluding lunch and breakfast periods and 77
extracurricular activities, for not less than four hundred 78
fifty-fiveeighty-two hours in the case of pupils in kindergarten 79
unless such pupils are provided all-day kindergarten, as defined 80
in section 3321.05 of the Revised Code, in which case the pupils 81
shall be in attendance for nine hundred tensixty-three hours; 82
nine hundred tensixty-three hours in the case of pupils in 83
grades one through six; and one thousand onefifty-four hours in 84
the case of pupils in grades seven through twelve in each school 85
year, which may include all of the following: 86
(1) Up to the equivalent of two school days per year 87
during which pupils would otherwise be in attendance but are not 88
required to attend for the purpose of individualized parent- 89
teacher conferences and reporting periods; 90
(2) Up to the equivalent of two school days per year 91
during which pupils would otherwise be in attendance but are not 92
required to attend for professional meetings of teachers; 93
(3) Morning and afternoon recess periods of not more than 94
fifteen minutes duration per period for pupils in grades 95
kindergarten through six. 96
(B) Not later than thirty days prior to adopting a school 97
calendar, the board of education of each city, exempted village, 98
and local school district shall hold a public hearing on the 99
school calendar, addressing topics that include, but are not 100
limited to, the total number of hours in a school year, length 101
of school day, and beginning and end dates of instruction. The 102
public hearing required under this division need not be a 103

H. B. No. 145 As Introduced

separate, individual hearing and may be part of another public 104
hearing or board meeting. 105
(C) No school operated by a city, exempted village, local, 106
or joint vocational school district shall reduce the number of 107
hours in each school year that the school is scheduled to be 108
open for instruction from the number of hours per year the 109
school was open for instruction during the previous school year 110
unless the reduction is approved by a resolution adopted by the 111
district board of education. Any reduction so approved shall not 112
result in fewer hours of instruction per school year than the 113
applicable number of hours required under division (A) of this 114
section. 115
(D) Prior to making any change in the hours or days in 116
which a high school under its jurisdiction is open for 117
instruction, the board of education of each city, exempted 118
village, and local school district shall consider the 119
compatibility of the proposed change with the scheduling needs 120
of any joint vocational school district in which any of the high 121
school's students are also enrolled. The board shall consider 122
the impact of the proposed change on student access to the 123
instructional programs offered by the joint vocational school 124
district, incentives for students to participate in career- 125
technical education, transportation, and the timing of 126
graduation. The board shall provide the joint vocational school 127
district board with advance notice of the proposed change and 128
the two boards shall enter into a written agreement prescribing 129
reasonable accommodations to meet the scheduling needs of the 130
joint vocational school district prior to implementation of the 131
change. 132

(E) Subject to section 3327.016 of the Revised Code, prior

H. B. No. 145 As Introduced

to making any change in the hours or days in which a school 134
under its jurisdiction is open for instruction, the board of 135
education of each city, exempted village, and local school 136
district shall consider the compatibility of the proposed change 137
with the scheduling needs of any community school established 138
under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code to which the district is 139
required to transport students under sections 3314.09 and 140
3327.01 of the Revised Code. The board shall consider the impact 141
of the proposed change on student access to the instructional 142
programs offered by the community school, transportation, and 143
the timing of graduation. The board shall provide the sponsor, 144
governing authority, and operator of the community school with 145
advance notice of the proposed change, and the board and the 146
governing authority, or operator if such authority is delegated 147
to the operator, shall enter into a written agreement 148
prescribing reasonable accommodations to meet the scheduling 149
needs of the community school prior to implementation of the 150
change. 151
(F) Subject to section 3327.016 of the Revised Code, prior 152
to making any change in the hours or days in which the schools 153
under its jurisdiction are open for instruction, the board of 154
education of each city, exempted village, and local school 155
district shall consult with the chartered nonpublic schools to 156
which the district is required to transport students under 157
section 3327.01 of the Revised Code and shall consider the 158
effect of the proposed change on the schedule for transportation 159
of those students to their nonpublic schools. The governing 160
authority of a chartered nonpublic school shall consult with 161
each school district board of education that transports students 162
to the chartered nonpublic school under section 3327.01 of the 163
Revised Code prior to making any change in the hours or days in 164

H. B. No. 145 As Introduced

which the nonpublic school is open for instruction. 165
(G) The department of education and workforce shall not 166
adopt or enforce any rule or standard that imposes on chartered 167
nonpublic schools the procedural requirements imposed on school 168
districts by divisions (B), (C), (D), and (E) of this section. 169
Section 2. That existing sections 3301.0732 and 3313.48 of 170
the Revised Code are hereby repealed. 171