Pattye Benson

Community Matters

How will T/E School District make up snow days?

T/E School District made the decision late today that the kids will return to school tomorrow with a 2-hour delay opening.  With many roads inaccessible to buses, the District asks that you have your child board at the closest bus stop located on an accessible road.

The revised Emergency Make-Up Day Schedule, as of 2/7/14:
Day 1: June 17, 2014
Day 2: June 18, 2014
Day 3: June 19, 2014
Day 4: June 20, 2014
Day 5: February 17, 2014
Day 6: April 14, 2014
Day 7: April 15, 2014
Day 8: April 16, 2014
Day 9: April 17, 2014

The District has scheduled eight make-up days so far, including President’s Day on Monday, February 17 which is now an instructional day.  There are only two days remaining in Spring Break, Thursday, April 17 and Friday, April 18.

As the snow days keep adding up, some school districts are looking at ‘outside the box’ options and are getting creative when it comes to make up days. In Colonial School District in Delaware, the students will start school 5 min. early and stay 5 min. late starting tomorrow.  By adding 10 min. to the instructional day, Colonial SD will make up two snow days by June.  In Indiana, the Department of Education is discussing adding an hour on to the school day for six days to make up one day.  If successful, they will add an hour to another six day period if additional make up days are required.

Some schools, in Ohio, Illinois and West Virginia, are allowing “e-learning days” to make up snow days.  In Ohio, most school districts have already maxed out their five snow days.  A state law passed in 2011 permits them to redefine three of the snow days as e-learning days. To meet state class-time requirements and avoid tacking on days into summer vacation, Ohio schools have the option to submit a lesson plan to the state outlining their e-learning day.  (Of Ohio’s 615 school districts, 156 submitted plans for e-learning days).

How about attending school on Saturday?  With no extra snow days in the calendar, Virginia Beach Public Schools decided to make up the instructional time lost over the course of three Saturdays in March.  Certainly, there are pros and cons to each of these creative approaches although an extra 5-min. in the morning and extra 5-min. in the afternoon would appear to be low impact.  The School Board will vote on the revised emergency make-up day schedule at Monday night’s TESD meeting.

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6 Comments

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  1. The district will tack on days to the schedule and cut holidays and inservice days where they can. It’s really not a mystery.

  2. what is frustrating is that T/E schools go 182 days… instead of the state mandated 180 days. Why not drop down to the mandate instead of adding back days in late June and Spring Break?

    1. Agree with you. So why doesn’t the school board drop back to the 180 days before they take the last 2 days of spring break. Several years ago (if I am recalling correctly) the Governor gave a reprieve to school districts and exempted snow day make-up because of a particularly severe winter. Like I said, it was several years ago, I don’t remember the exact year but I do recall my kids were in elementary school.

    2. Agreed. However with Dan in charge it will not happen.

      And the odd thing is…if they back down on the days. The hourly workers would lose a couple days and then the district will save money.

      1. Middle school aide,

        Just wonder why the aides don’t get together and do something to save their jobs. Individuals posting opinions is great. It really is and I appreciate hearing your voice but I’m not sure how it helps your cause.

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