HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

151st GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE AMENDMENT NO. 1

TO

HOUSE BILL NO. 163

AMEND House Bill No. 163 by striking lines 1-12 in their entirety.

FURTHER AMEND House Bill No. 163 by striking “ may be ” as it appears on line 17 and substituting in lieu thereof “ is ”.

FURTHER AMEND House Bill No. 163 by inserting after line 16 and before line 17 the following and redesignating accordingly:

“ (b) A list of religious holidays on which a pupil’s absence shall be excused shall be created by the Secretary of Education and placed in regulation. The list of approved religious holidays is not a limit on the power of school districts or charter schools to excuse absence on any other day for the purpose of religious or cultural observance. ”

SYNOPSIS

This amendment consolidates the language of the bill into Chapter 27 of Title 14, requires the Secretary of Education to create a list of religious holidays on which an absence must be excused through the regulatory process, and clarifies that a written excuse from a parent or guardian is necessary to excuse a religious absence.