With the recent round of weather-related school closures, Prince William County School students may be left having to make up several days worth of missed instruction.
If Superintendent of Schools Dr. Steven L. Walts’ plan is approved by the School Board, at least one day's worth of instructional hours will be recouped Mar. 31.
At the Feb. 5 School Board meeting, Walts recommended making the Mar. 31 teacher workday into a full day for staff and students as a way to make up some time.
“As a result of the school closures and delays we have already experienced, I am going to recommend to the School Board that action be taken at our next meeting, Feb. 19 for the Prince William County Public Schools to take the originally scheduled teacher workday on Monday, Mar. 31, and make that a full day of student instruction at all levels,” Walts said.
The School Division may not be penalized for days missed due to the snow storm that ravaged the area Feb. 12-13. Since Governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency, PWCS can apply for a waiver for the hours.
Walts noted that should more days be lost to weather, more hours would need to be made up as well.
“If additional make up time is needed, the superintendent’s staff will make further recommendations to the School Board,” Walts said.
He has not yet made a definitive recommendation; however, those missed hours could be replaced via adding another day or time added on to instructional days.
“Should that be the case we will consider using the afternoon of the last day of school, Tuesday, June 17. And only if addition time is required, the administration will consider adjusting the time of the instruction day, and/or adding an instruction day,” Walts said.
The superintendent also suggested the district consider utilizing Monday, April 21, the last day of spring break and the day after Easter, as an additional day of student instruction. In that case, staff would be provided with leave options if their spring break plans could not be changed; students could receive excused absences with their parents’ approval.
“Right now we need to make up just more than a day,” Walts said on Feb. 5, “and right now I will propose one change in the calendar, that is if nothing else happens between now and the next meeting, and that is that the board change Mar. 31 to a day of instruction."
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