Rep. Bill Rhiley, a Wellington Republican on the committee, said he introduced the bill because he understood many school districts are only meeting the bare minimum of required hours. Per his calculations using data from districts around the state, Kansas public schools are only in session for an average of 407 hours, or nearly 7 hours, per day, not counting a 30-minute lunch period.

“Swatting” is a type of fake 911 call where the caller falsely claims a violent crime is happening at a location with the goal of generating a heavy police response to that location.

The move follows the board's decision to cut ties with Dr. Vickie Cartwright, who was criticized for her leadership style.