An Act To Ensure Equal Access To A Full School Day For All Students

LD 1098 requires Maine school districts to stop placing students in abbreviated school day programs (shorter instructional days) without strict justification and parental consent. It directly affects students with disabilities who are often placed in these programs, requiring schools to document medical or behavioral needs through special education plans (like IEPs), provide detailed plans showing how students will catch up academically, and obtain written parental consent every 45 days. The bill prohibits using abbreviated days due to staffing or resource shortages and mandates that schools return students to full-day instruction within 5 days if parents object. This law aims to ensure all students in the same grade receive equal instructional time, with the emergency clause allowing immediate implementation.