School make-up days up for a vote
By CYNTHIA BULLION
Times-Tribune News Staff
DESOTO COUNTY – Playing with the white stuff on Tuesday could cost DeSoto County students a day of springtime or Saturday play.
School district officials said late Tuesday that school employees will be asked to vote on whether to make up Tuesday’s snow day on March 15, the first day of scheduled Spring Break, or on one of the following Saturdays: March 6, March 27 or April 10.
“This way everybody can have a voice in the problem,” Superintendent of Education Milton Kuykendall said, noting that many teachers and other school staff members are also parents.
He said the employee votes would be tallied at individual schools, with each school casting one representative vote to be considered by Board of Education members who must approve school calendar changes.
Board members recently voted for Feb. 15 and May 24-25 as make-up days after inclement weather caused school closures in January.
Kuykendall said May 26, the final make-up day built into the school district’s calendar, would cover Monday’s school closure due to snow.
However, Tuesday’s closure means officials now have to either squeeze another day into the remainder of the school calendar or add it onto the end.
Kuykendall said the latter option when taken in the past, has proved to be unsuccessful as a high percentage of students and teachers alike don’t show up.
People typically make vacation and other plans based on the school calendar and can’t or won’t change those plans to make up a missed day of class, he said.
School officials drew criticism Tuesday for canceling classes when the majority of roadways were clear of snow and ice.
Kuykendall said the decision was a tough one to make shortly after 5 a.m. Tuesday but based on several factors, including some icy spots on roads in rural areas and on shaded hillsides that could have caused problems for buses.
“We thought we could probably get everybody to school but there were just too many ‘ifs’,” he said, noting several school parking lots also had a thin layer of ice. “We didn’t want kids falling and breaking an arm on their way inside the school or teachers slipping as they got out of their cars. We erred on the side of safety.”
Cynthia Bullion: 429-6397, cbullion@desototimestribune.com
School district officials said late Tuesday that school employees will be asked to vote on whether to make up Tuesday’s snow day on March 15, the first day of scheduled Spring Break, or on one of the following Saturdays: March 6, March 27 or April 10.
“This way everybody can have a voice in the problem,” Superintendent of Education Milton Kuykendall said, noting that many teachers and other school staff members are also parents.
He said the employee votes would be tallied at individual schools, with each school casting one representative vote to be considered by Board of Education members who must approve school calendar changes.
Board members recently voted for Feb. 15 and May 24-25 as make-up days after inclement weather caused school closures in January.
Kuykendall said May 26, the final make-up day built into the school district’s calendar, would cover Monday’s school closure due to snow.
However, Tuesday’s closure means officials now have to either squeeze another day into the remainder of the school calendar or add it onto the end.
Kuykendall said the latter option when taken in the past, has proved to be unsuccessful as a high percentage of students and teachers alike don’t show up.
People typically make vacation and other plans based on the school calendar and can’t or won’t change those plans to make up a missed day of class, he said.
School officials drew criticism Tuesday for canceling classes when the majority of roadways were clear of snow and ice.
Kuykendall said the decision was a tough one to make shortly after 5 a.m. Tuesday but based on several factors, including some icy spots on roads in rural areas and on shaded hillsides that could have caused problems for buses.
“We thought we could probably get everybody to school but there were just too many ‘ifs’,” he said, noting several school parking lots also had a thin layer of ice. “We didn’t want kids falling and breaking an arm on their way inside the school or teachers slipping as they got out of their cars. We erred on the side of safety.”
Cynthia Bullion: 429-6397, cbullion@desototimestribune.com
