Beaufort County School District announces makeup days in wake of 2 recent hurricane scares

Beaufort County students will only need to make up three of the five school days that they have missed so far this year due to storms, the Beaufort County Board of Education decided Tuesday.

The Beaufort County School District closed schools for a total of five days in September and October because of potential effects of Hurricane Florence and Tropical Storm Michael.

Under state law, districts are required to make up three days. Local school boards then are given the authority to waive up to three additional days.

The district’s three weather makeup days will take place Nov. 21, Jan. 7 and Jan. 8, but the half-day previously scheduled for Dec. 21 will be switched to Nov. 21 — shortening the district’s Thanksgiving break by a half-day and winter break by two days.

For the first time in recent years, the first semester will be extended until after winter break and end on Jan. 8. A district press release said that this will give the high schools “more instructional time to meet state minimum requirements” for seat time.

District administration recommended the selected makeup days to the school board based on more than 6,000 responses to online surveys as well as input from an ad hoc calendar committee composed of school administrators and teachers, according to the district.

The survey offered staff and parents with three options:

• Use the three makeup days listed on the current 2018-19 calendar: Nov. 21, June 3 and June 4 (extend the school year for students by two days)
• Use Nov. 21, Jan. 7 and Jan. 8 (shorten winter break for students by two days)
• Use Nov. 21, Jan. 8 and June 3 (shorten winter break for students by one day and extend the school year for students by one day)
  
  

Survey respondents generally favored a shorter winter break rather than extending the school year into June, according to the district.

This story was originally published October 17, 2018 at 8:24 AM.