CMCSS Classes In Session for Presidents Day
February 13, 2018
Schools will be in session on Monday, Feb. 19 which is Presidents Day. Because students have missed six days of classes due to inclement weather, the makeup plan approved by the School Board last summer has students making up their sixth missed day on Presidents Day.
To recap the days missed this school year:
Sept. 1, 2017 – Schools closed due to hazardous conditions caused by significant winds and rain (power outages, power lines and trees blocking the roads) Inclement Weather Day used
Jan. 3, 4, 5, 2018- Schools had delayed openings, does not affect stock pile days
Jan. 12, 2018- Schools and District closed due to inclement weather. Inclement Weather Day used
Jan. 16, 2018- Schools and District closed due to inclement weather. Inclement Weather Day used
Jan. 17, 2018- Schools closed due to inclement weather. Inclement Weather Day used
Jan. 18, 2018- Schools closed due to inclement weather. Inclement Weather Day used
Jan. 19, 2018- Schools closed due to inclement weather. Sixth day missed
There have been many questions about inclement weather days and how they are made up in Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools. Here is the explanation:
The law allows for 13 days to be stockpiled by students. Students stockpile days by going 30 extra minutes. Teachers do not stockpile days. The district chose years ago, with input from teachers and administrators, to use four of the stockpiled days as staff development which left nine student stockpiled days. A few years ago, again with teacher and administrator input, three early release days were added. This accounts for one more day to be subtracted from the nine which then leaves eight days from the 13.
The Board will forgive three days of the eight for teachers and five days for students. Subsequent days would need to be approved by the Board for makeup or not.
It is prudent to make up the lost days as teachers have stated that they never have enough time with the students. Making the days up gives more time for teacher and student interaction and addresses the teachers¹ concern of time with students. Student achievement is impacted by student-teacher interaction.
In years past, we have made up days in a variety of ways and usually that was dependent upon how many were lost and the time of year the inclement weather occurred. Other school districts do make up the days, but they may not make up all of them and may not have the days allotted for staff development.
The Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board voted at its formal session July 18, 2017 on the Inclement Weather Make Up Plan for the school year, should it be needed.
The first five days missed by students will not be made up and will come from stockpiled student days
The sixth day missed and subsequent days will be made up as available:
January 2, 2018 (staff development day)
February 19, 2018 (Presidents Day)
Early release day on March 2, 2018 will be converted to a full day with thirty minutes added to eight additional school days to equal one day.
Thirty minutes added to thirteen days not to infringe upon the state testing window to account for one make-up day
Make up for days missed beyond this plan will be determined as circumstances require.
Regarding discussion about the implication of Tennessee having a “state of emergency” day or days, those are days designated by the governor’s office or federal government related to safety and emergencies and do not necessarily have an impact on school districts’ make-up plans. There have been circumstances when excessive days have been missed, whether for snow – or in May 2010 due to floods. In those occurrences, the state Department of Education has granted requests from the school system and School Board for a waiver to the making up of days missed.
Just as an aside for those interested, here’s an article on how to spell Presidents Day. https://writingexplained.org/how-to-spell-presidents-day
CMCSS follows the Associated Press Stylebook of not using an apostrophe.