Wicomico County Public Schools is seeking input through a survey on a final adjustment to the 2024-2025 school year calendar. This adjustment would enable Wicomico to make up enough missed days to meet the state’s 180-day school year requirement. The survey will be open until 5 p.m. Thursday, February 6th.
Wicomico County Public Schools missed 6 days of school this winter due to inclement weather and road conditions. So far, the Wicomico County Board of Education has approved 4 makeup days (Feb. 3, April 17, June 12 and June 13).
With limited flexibility available in the school calendar to address the remaining 2 missed days, the school system and Board of Education are seeking input through a survey to determine which of three potential options is preferred by our families and staff. Please go to the Options for Final 2024-2025 School Calendar Adjustment Survey to record your preference from among these three options*:
Ø Option 1: Early dismissal school day on Monday, Feb. 17 (Presidents Day, schools currently closed)
Ø Option 2: Early dismissal school day on Monday, April 21 (last day of spring holiday break, schools currently closed)
Ø Option 3: Early dismissal school day on Monday, June 16 (currently during summer break)
*A Maryland State Board of Education waiver for the 180th day of the school year would be needed for any of these options.
The school system and Board of Education will take the survey input into consideration when making a decision on this final adjustment to this year’s school calendar. Reminder: Any local decision further adjusting the 2024-2025 calendar must also be approved by the Maryland State Board of Education.
We anticipate that some may have questions or suggestions for other options, so we wanted to proactively address some of those:
· While there was a state of emergency announced for two of the days that schools were closed, state law on school calendars does not recognize a state of emergency as a reason to waive any school days. The days must be made up.
· Wicomico’s approved school calendar includes makeup day options, all of which have been used (Feb. 3 and June 12, now makeup days) or have passed (Nov. 27).
· Two other days have already been added to the school calendar to make up missed days: April 17 (formerly the first day of the spring holiday break) and June 13 (formerly a summer break day with no school).
· Wicomico Schools submitted two separate waiver requests to the Maryland State Board of Education for the remaining two days that schools were closed due to winter weather conditions. Both of these waiver requests were denied. Wicomico must resubmit when it determines which option it plans to use for making up at least one school day, at which point the other day could be considered eligible to be waived.
· Should weather conditions prevent the opening of school buildings on any other day remaining in this school year, Wicomico County Public Schools now has approval to shift to virtual instruction. There will not be any other makeup days or calendar updates moving forward.
· Virtual instruction cannot be used to make up one of the days that schools were already closed.