HB 2743

                                                 PRINTER'S NO.   3829
                THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
                    HOUSE BILL
                    No. 2743
                                           Session of
                                             2026
INTRODUCED BY DAVANZO, COOK, BERNSTINE, GAYDOS, ZIMMERMAN,
   COOPER, ROWE, SMITH AND E. NELSON, AUGUST 18, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, AUGUST 19, 2026
                                AN ACT
1 Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
2    act relating to the public school system, including certain
3    provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
4    schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
5    laws relating thereto," in terms and courses of study,
6    further providing for dates and times of school terms and
7    sessions and commencement.
8    The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
9 hereby enacts as follows:
10    Section 1.    Section 1504(a) of the act of March 10, 1949
11 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, is
12 amended and the section is amended by adding a subsection to
13 read:
14    Section 1504.     Dates and Times of School Terms and Sessions;
15 Commencement.--(a)    (1)   The board of school directors of each
16 school [district] entity shall fix the date of the beginning of
17 the school term[. Unless], subject to the following:
18    (i)   Except as provided in subparagraph (ii), in a school
19 entity that is not on a year-round education calendar, a school
20 term for students may not begin:
1(A)    earlier than the day after Labor Day; and
2(B)    on the same day as an agricultural fair in the county in
3 which the school entity is located.
4(ii)    Upon approval of the Secretary of Education, a board of
5 school directors of a school entity may begin a school term
6 prior to the day after Labor Day because of a situation beyond
7 the control of the school entity, including a major construction
8 or renovation project involving a school building of the school
9 entity or a natural disaster.
10(2)    Unless otherwise determined by the board, the daily
11 session of school shall open at nine ante-meridian and close at
12 four post-meridian, with an intermission of one hour at noon,
13 and an intermission of fifteen minutes in the forenoon and in
14 the afternoon. Upon request of a board of school directors for
15 an exception to the aforesaid daily schedule, the Secretary of
16 Education may, when in his opinion a meritorious educational
17 program warrants, approve a school week containing a minimum of
18 twenty seven and one-half hours of instruction as the equivalent
19 of five (5) school days, or a school year containing a minimum
20 of nine hundred ninety hours of instruction at the secondary
21 level or nine hundred (900) hours of instruction at the
22 elementary level as the equivalent of one hundred eighty (180)
23 school days.
24(3)    Professional and temporary professional employes shall
25 be allowed a lunch period free of supervisory or other duties of
26 at least thirty minutes.
27(4)    The provisions of this subsection shall not be construed
28 to:
29(i)    repeal any rule or regulation of any board of school
30 directors now in effect which provides for a lunch period longer
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1 than the minimum prescribed herein or to repeal any action of
2 any board of school directors taken in compliance with section 7
3 of the act of July 25, 1913 (P.L.1024, No.466), entitled "An act
4 to protect the public health and welfare, by regulating the
5 employment of females in certain establishments, with respect to
6 their hours of labor and the conditions of their employment; by
7 establishing certain sanitary regulations in the establishments
8 in which they work; by requiring certain abstracts and notices
9 to be posted; by providing for the enforcement of this act by
10 the Commissioner of Labor and Industry and others; by
11 prescribing penalties for violations thereof; by defining the
12 procedure in prosecutions; and by repealing all acts and parts
13 of acts inconsistent with the provisions thereof," as
14 amended[.]; or
15    (ii)    prevent a school entity from conducting in-service
16 sessions for teachers before Labor Day or on the same day as an
17 agricultural fair in the county in which the school entity is
18 located.
19    * * *
20    (d)     As used in this section, the following words and phrases
21 shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless
22 the context clearly indicates otherwise:
23    "Agricultural fair" shall mean an annual agricultural
24 exhibition contributing to the development of several or many
25 phases of agriculture or agribusiness by the conduct of
26 educational programs, activities, demonstrations, contests and
27 exhibits that are eligible to apply for a grant under section
28 5(3) of the act of July 8, 1986 (P.L.437, No.92), known as the
29 "Pennsylvania Agricultural Fair Act."
30    "School entity" shall mean a school district, cyber charter
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1 school, charter school, regional charter school, area career and
2 technical school or intermediate unit.
3    Section 2.   If a conflict exists between this act and a
4 contractual obligation, which is between a school entity and its
5 professional and nonprofessional employees, which adopts a
6 school calendar or provides a process that determines a school
7 calendar and which is in effect on the effective date of this
8 section, the contractual obligation shall not be affected by the
9 conflict and shall remain in effect for the duration of the
10 contract or until modified in accordance with the contract.
11    Section 3.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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