IC – School Year/School Calendar/Instruction Time

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In accordance with Colorado law, teacher pupil instruction/contact time is defined as time when pupils are actively engaged in the education process and by law includes parent-teacher conferences, staff in-service programs and closings necessary for student health, safety or welfare. I. Active Engagement in the Educational Process The Board defines "actively engaged in the educational process" as time when students are working toward achieving educational objectives, including student wellness under the supervision of a licensed teacher, including:
  • Classroom instruction time
  • Individual student work time while at school, including advisement, study hall and library research
  • School-related field trips
  • Independent study insofar as such study is allowed under district policy
  • Assemblies
  • Passing periods between classes, and from class to lunch
  • Recess time
  • Remote learning implemented as a result of public health and safety measures on either a full or part-time basis
  • Remote learning provided through the District's online learning schools approved by the Colorado Department of Education
"Actively engaged in the educational process" shall not include:
  • Lunch
  • Time students spend before school waiting for classes to begin and time after the last class of the day, including waiting for the bus
  • Teacher preparation time
Supervision by a licensed teacher shall not require that the teacher be in students' physical presence at all times, but that the teacher is exercising direction and control over the nature of the students' activities and/or promoting student wellness. Supervision by a licensed teacher shall include students receiving instruction remotely via an online platform either in a synchronous or asynchronous format for all or part of an instruction day. II. Attendance An adequate and comprehensive system of attendance records shall be maintained for each student. Teachers shall be responsible for accurate and timely reporting of attendance in their individual classrooms. The following ways qualify as teacher-pupil instruction and contact time which may be tracked and counted for attendance purposes:
  1. Presence during in-person instruction;
  2. Completion of assignments at home;
  3. Logging into an online learning platform to access instruction;
  4. Logging into the online student portal to access information and materials and/or communicate with a teacher;
  5. Logging into the student email system to communicate with a teacher and/or obtain information and materials;
  6. Logging into an online collaborative platform to access information and materials;
  7. Meeting virtually with a teacher during office hours;
  8. Signing an online form attesting that assignments were completed at home;
  9. Demonstration of learning by the student; and
  10. Completion of attendance log entries in the District's student information system.
The identified activities on this list which may be accomplished on remote learning days are equivalent to in-person teacher-student instruction and contact time on in-person days based on the in-person bell schedule. In cases of prolonged student absences, teachers shall ascertain the cause of the absence and make necessary arrangements to minimize the effects of excused absences on student achievement, including providing take-home assignments, encouragement, and regular communications with the impacted students and their parents. III. School Calendar The school calendar for the ensuing school year shall be prepared by the Superintendent and presented for Board of Education approval not later than March 1 of each year. The number of days of planned teacher-student instruction and of teacher-student contact shall meet or exceed the requirements of state law and shall include a sufficient number of days to allow the Superintendent flexibility in preparing a calendar that supports the District's educational objectives, including how best to address the needs of all students to enable them to meet or exceed state and District content standards.
Cross References: EBCE - School Closings and Cancellations
ADF - School Wellness
ADF-R - School Wellness
Legal References: C.R.S. § 22‑1‑112 (School Year - National Holidays)
C.R.S. § 22‑32‑109 (1)(n) (Duty to Determine School Year and Instruction Hours)
C.R.S. § 22‑33‑102 (1) (Definition of Academic Year)
C.R.S. § 22‑33‑104 (1) (Compulsory School Attendance)
C.R.S. § 22-44-115.5 (Fiscal Emergency)
1 CCR 301-39, Rules 2254-R-2.06 (School Year and Instruction Hours; Definition of Contact/Instruction Time)
Adoption Date: September 30, 2005 Last Revised: August 03, 2020
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