Next year’s Beaufort County schools calendar is out. Here’s what it means for makeup days

No Saturdays have been slated as weather makeup days for Beaufort County School District’s 2018-19 academic calendar.

The Beaufort County Board of Education approved next school year’s calendar at its Saturday work session in a 5-3 vote with one abstention. Board members Evva Anderson, Mary Cordray, Earl Campbell, Cynthia Gregory-Smalls and Geri Kinton voted in favor, board members John Dowling, JoAnn Orischak and Christina Gwozdz voted against and board member Joseph Dunkle abstained. Board members Bill Payne and David Striebinger were not present for the vote.

The calendar designates just one weather makeup day in the first semester that, if needed, would be held on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. This could create complications if a hurricane shutters Beaufort County schools for multiple days that would need to be made up.

The 2018-19 calendar designates June 3 and 4 as the other two makeup days.

State law requires school districts to designate at least three weather makeup days. At the board’s request last year, this calendar identified eight makeup days — all on Saturdays.

The calendar includes a two-week winter break, a preference indicated by parents and district employees in online surveys last year, according to a news release.

Current state law states no South Carolina public school can start classes before the third Monday in August, which falls particularly late this year on Aug. 20.

The 2018-19 school year includes a day off on Tuesday, Nov. 6 for the election. Students end the year on May 31.

To view the calendar, visit http://beaufortschools.net/cms and click on “Academic Calendars.”

This story was originally published February 5, 2018 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Next year’s Beaufort County schools calendar is out. Here’s what it means for makeup days."