Many schools, particularly in the eastern portion of the state, were forced to close for days on end to deal with snow storms and flooding.

One bill this session would offer some leeway for school districts to tweak their calendar without keeping kids in class well into June.

House Bill 241 made it through the House without consternation.

But today the state Senate latched on a much debated measure about virtual instruction to the school calendar bill.

Our June LaFleur explains.

Class must be in session 170 days a year, according to state law.

Ten of those days can be nontraditional instruction, or 90 days.

Because of the severe rain and snow, many school districts have already used up those days, says Representative Tammy Truant, an elementary school principal.

This bill started off as a really good bill for all the districts in the state of Kentucky, especially the districts in the eastern Kentucky where I live.

House Bill 241 would let school districts extend school hours, take five more NTI days, and or request five days to be waived by the state education commissioner.

Just this year, due to severe weather, the House passed it with an 82 to 7 vote last month.

But you can take a good bill and make it bad.

And I'm afraid that with the amendment that I think may be on this bill, that I would have to incur, urge my colleagues to be against this bill.

Republican senators offered a much different version.

This bill was not going to make it out of the Senate.

And despite the clear need for some relief for some of the schools, especially in eastern Kentucky, the addition of five NTI days caused our caucus to have real concerns about.

241 So this is an effort to try to keep the process moving forward.

Senate leadership and the chair of the Senate Education Committee tacked on another proposal they say will give the bill more traction with their colleagues.

That's a stopgap measure to keep public virtual schools afloat in Kentucky.

Specifically, the Kentucky Virtual Academy at Clover Port, Independent Clover Port.

Parents have testified in Frankfort in favor of their alternative schooling, despite the fact that it fails to test enough students, hire enough teachers, and keep class sizes small.

According to reporting from The Courier-Journal and Lexington Herald-Leader, the reporting says the Western Kentucky School District serves ten times more virtual students than in-person students.

The Senate Education Committee advanced House Bill 241 went up for a vote on the Senate floor today.

I think it's contradicting, Mr. President, that just yesterday we passed a bill talking about and creating an Office of Governmental efficiency.

And here now, just 24 hours later, we want to pass a bill that's being managed by a company that's been found by three states in the last decade to lie, to cheat and to steal.

There's no way, Mr. President, I can vote for this coming due coming out here, Kentucky.

I continue to take our state taxpayer money.

In my opinion, that's extremely inefficient.

Almost a thousand of these students, I'm told, came from the Jefferson County Public School system.

Why would students and families choose a different model for their kids?

Because this is probably the place that best meets the needs of those kids.

Are we here about the kids or are we here about supporting systems?

If we're if we're here dedicated to supporting the kids, let's make it possible under current Kentucky law for families and children to be where they need to be by the delivery model that works for them.

House Bill 241 passed in a 23 to 14 vote and now heads back to the House to approve changes to the bill.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Jane Lefler.

Thank you so much, June.

Now, if the House doesn't approve those Senate changes, a conference committee, as it's called, between the two chambers, will be appointed to hash out the differences before the session ends.