Cancellations alter school calendar

BY STACI WILSON

Snow day cancellations are pushing school calendars close to using up the number of “built-in” snow days
Several school districts have started to reschedule days off – utilizing January’s Martin Luther King Jr. day as a make-up day; and now President’s Day.

At the Tuesday, Feb. 3 meeting, the Blue Ridge board of education agreed that regular classes will be held on Monday, Feb. 16. A snow make-up date on Friday, Feb. 13 had already been added to the schedule.
Blue Ridge isn’t alone, other area school districts are also using the January and February holidays as make-up days.

On Monday, Feb. 2, Blue Ridge also attempted a three-hour delay but school ended up being canceled.

Board President Laurie Bonner said the three-hour delay announcement caused some questions from parents on social media. “There was some bippin’” she said. “What the heck is a three-hour delay?” Bonner said people were asking.

Superintendent Robert McTiernan explained that there are times when it looks like the weather would clear if school delayed just one additional hour. “Another hour might help get us in,” he said.

The class schedule with a three-hour delay would be similar to a typical half-day of school.

McTiernan said the “flex” period at the end of the day would be eliminated; and class instruction time would be shortened by only three minutes.

In the event of a three-hour delay, there would be no morning pre-k classes, according to the superintendent.

Board Vice President Shane Rumage said, “It’s worth a try. Kids have to be in school 180 days.”

Board member Harold Empett also said the delay is not just about instruction days, but the safety of the students.

McTiernan said that while the district could utilize a three-hour delay, it would be a “last-ditch” effort to hold school. The mainstay will still be a two-hour delay, according to the superintendent.

The board asked the superintendent to post information about the three-hour delay on the school website.

The board also approved the independent audit performed by Murphy, Dougherty & Co. for the period ending June 30, 2014. Highlights of the audit report were presented to the board at the Jan. 26 workshop meeting.

Other items approved by the board included:
*The license agreement with R&H theatricals of New York, N.Y., for the spring high school performance of “Cinderella.”
*Half-year sabbatical leave for Stacy Wolfe, 5th grade teacher. Joshua Carpenter was hired for the long-term substitute position, effective Feb. 4 through the remainder of the school year.
*Dianna Swank was hired as a part-time bus aide, effective Feb. 3.
*Chad Guzy and Earl Marvin Jr. were approved as varsity-jr. varsity softball head co-coaches and will split the coaching salary.
*Instructional and non-instructional substitutes were approved.
*An agreement with Mark’s Private Driver Training School LLC for classroom and behind the wheel instruction, July 1 – June 30, 2016.
At the February 23 board workshop, Bonner said the executive director of the Pennsylvania School Board Association was expected to be present. A facilities and grounds committee meeting, as well as a technology committee meeting will be held prior to the 7 p.m. workshop in the cafeteria.
Bonner called for an executive session on a personnel matter to be held immediately following the adjournment of the meeting.