Dear Parents,
I know these last weeks have been challenging ones with hour school closures due to severely cold weather. Thank you for your patience. I know the question on your mind now is, "Will the district add make-up days to the calendar?" The short answer, for now, is no. The State of Minnesota requires a certain amount of instructional hours in a school year and our district is still above the State's minimum, even with the latest school closure January 28th.
At the same time, we all know how Minnesota weather is and we have several weeks of winter left that could bring more severe conditions. As a result, I have been talking with the school board, administrators and staff to discuss the possibility of adding some instructional time to the calendar, just in case we need it. Here is what is in the discussion phase at this point for potential added instructional hours:
- Making the early release day on March 20th at the end of the third quarter a full student contact day (not final)
- Changing April 18th from a staff development day to a student contact day (not final)
We are not considering extending the school year. Graduation will still take place on May 30th. The dates listed above are not adopted changes at this time, only alternatives should we experience more school closings due to weather.
I feel it is important to communicate this information so that parents have time to make plans should we need to take action on additional instructional hours. If we need to add hours back into the school day, I will let you know as soon as possible via email. Principals will also be communicating as we go forward.
Again, thank you for your support throughout these past few weeks. We are excited to have students back in school!
Best Regards,
Dr. Sue Ann Gruver
Superintendent
