Photo Credit: Maddie Norwood[/caption]The Orange County Board of Education decided March 10 during a meeting to forgive three of the school days students missed due to inclement weather because schools will have their required number of hours without making up the days. School will still be in session March 28 and April 21, two previously-announced make-up days.
The Board decided to forgive the days after considering multiple other options, including making school days longer and having school on Saturdays. In a press release, Superintendent Gerri Martin stated, “Having school on Saturday and extending the school day were on the table, but with possible disruption to community events and to the staff who have other jobs, the board had to discuss all of the ramifications.” Staff members, however, will be required to make the days up. Martin believes “the teachers will work diligently, as they always do, to complete the missed time.”
North Carolina policies require schools to have either 1,025 hours of school or 185 days, and the current Orange County school schedule gives schools 1,025 hours without making the missed days up.
Martin stated that the board’s decision “was not taken lightly” because not making up a day “is one less day of instruction for a student.” Donna Coffey, the chair of the board, called the choice “rare.” She assured the public that “the decision was made after careful consideration and in order to preserve the best interests of parents, students, staff, and the community.”
OHS students supported the school board’s decision. Junior Damien Thomas said that “three days typically won’t make a difference unless a class is on a really strict schedule… so it’s not that big of a deal.” Robert Russell, a junior, said that he agrees with the decision because the school’s other option “for make ups would be to take away teacher workdays, or have kids come in on a Saturday or over spring or summer break, which many kids wouldn’t come to.” He believes, if there are additional snow days, they should be made up because students “can’t miss too much school.” Kayla Phillips, also a junior, said, “I think it’s a good idea since most teachers have already caught up with their teaching plans, and it is not at all the students’ fault for being absent.”
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