Section 15.1-06-04 - School calendar - Length1. A school district shall provide for a school calendar that includes: a. At least nine hundred sixty-two and one-half hours of instruction for elementary school students and one thousand fifty hours of instruction for middle and high school students;b. Three holidays, as selected by the board in consultation with district teachers from the list provided for in subdivisions b through j of subsection 1 of section 15.1-06-02;c. No more than two days for: (1) Parent-teacher conferences; or(2) Compensatory time for parent-teacher conferences held outside of regular school hours; andd. At least three days of professional development not including meals or breaks.2. For the first three days of professional development required under subdivision d of subsection 1, a day of professional development must consist of:a. Six hours of professional development, exclusive of meals and other breaks, conducted within a single day;b. Six hours of cumulative professional development conducted under the auspices of a professional learning community; or c. Two four-hour periods of professional development, exclusive of meals and other breaks, conducted over two days.3. If because of weather or other conditions a school must cancel hours of instruction or dismiss before completing all hours of instruction for the day, the school is responsible for making up only those hours and portions of an hour between the time of cancellation or early dismissal and the conclusion of all hours of classroom instruction for the day if the dismissal will result in the school failing to meet the requirements of subdivision a of subsection 1. A school district may satisfy the requirements of this section by providing virtual instruction pursuant to section 15.1-07-25.4.4. For purposes of this section, a full day of instruction at a physical school plant consists of: a. At least five and one-half hours for kindergarten and elementary students, during which time the students are required to be in attendance for the purpose of receiving curricular instruction; and b. At least six hours for high school students, during which time the students are required to be in attendance for the purpose of receiving curricular instruction.5. If a school district intends to operate under a school calendar that consists of four days of instruction per week, the school district shall apply and be approved for a waiver by the superintendent of public instruction.6. If a school district intends to provide virtual instruction, the instruction must comply with the requirements under subsection 4. The attendance of students participating in virtual instruction must be verified by monitoring the student's progress on academic pacing guides developed by the school district to ensure students are in attendance and receiving sufficient curricular instruction, as defined in rules adopted by the superintendent of public instruction.Amended by S.L. 2021, ch. 141 (HB 1388),§ 2, eff. 8/1/2021.Amended by S.L. 2021, ch. 141 (HB 1388),§ 1, eff. 8/1/2021.Amended by S.L. 2021 , ch. 140( HB 1232 ), § 1, eff. 8/1/2021.Amended by S.L. 2019 , ch. 149( SB 2265 ), § 2, eff. 7/1/2019.Amended by S.L. 2015 , ch. 137( SB 2031 ), § 2, eff. 7/1/2015.