CALDWELL COUNTY, NC (January 11, 2017)…The winter storm that socked the county with frigid temperatures and heavy snowfall left schools closed for two days and delayed for two hours on Wednesday. With scattered showers and temperatures above freezing in the extended forecast, schools should resume to a regular schedule, as high schools prepare for end-of-semester exams.
Superintendent Announces Make-Up Day as January 23…
Superintendent Dr. Steve Stone said that the winter weather outlook for western North Carolina predicts a penetrating cold and very wet winter. “We will get through the worst of the winter season before we determine how to make up time for all the days missed,” said Stone.
At the January Board of Education meeting, the Superintendent announced the make-up day for January 9, 2017, missed due to inclement weather. The Optional Planning Day scheduled January 23 will be a regular school day. Originally on the school calendar, it was a day off for students and a planning day for teachers to make class adjustments and finalize reporting for the end of the semester.
Since students missed January 9 and 10, the exam schedule for high school students has been revised. Exams will begin after the Martin Luther King Holiday and conclude on Monday, January 23. High school students will have review sessions until the exam schedule begins on January 17. The end of the 2nd 9-week grading period and the semester break have been extended for Hibriten High, South Caldwell and West Caldwell High School to Monday, January 23. For elementary and middle schools, the grading period will end as scheduled on January 20.
The Early College High School and the Career Center Middle College operate on a different calendar approved by the State Board of Education to allow them more alignment with the community college calendar. The snow make-up day for both schools is May 22.
The Board of Education must adhere to the regulations of state law governing school calendars when making any adjustments to the calendar. Public school calendars must have a minimum of 185 days or 1,025 hours of instruction for students. The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday will continue to be observed on Monday, January 16.