(News update) Superintendent recommends three-day waiver on end of year to make up for snow days

Last student day likely to be June 18

Friday, March 12, 2010

Posted at 3:40 p.m. Friday

At Thursday's Calvert County Board of Education meeting Superintendent of Schools Jack Smith recommended that the school system request a three-day waiver for student days at the end of the school year.

This would mean that if there are no additional lost days of school, the last day of school for students will be Friday, June 18.

Because of nine school days missed due to snow, the school year for Calvert County was initially scheduled to end on Wednesday, June 23, to make up for days lost.

According to a press release recently sent by Calvert County public schools spokesperson Gail Bennett, Maryland law requires a minimum of 180 student school days, but on Feb. 23, the State Board of Education gave state Superintendent Nancy Grasmick the authority to waive up to five days for each county.

Five of the nine days were already built into the current school calendar, so four days would need to be added to the end of the school year to reach the mandated 180 instructional days, the release said.

Smith also recommended that Monday, June 21, be used as a professional development day for staff and the following Tuesday, June 22, be the last day for 10-month employees.

"I thought this was the most reasonable approach I could come up with," Smith said, continuing that if the waiver is granted he will formally ask the board to modify the school calendar at its March 25 meeting.

lbuck@somdnews.com