Listen up! Snow-caused adjustments to local public school calendars

Last week’s inclement weather tasked Richmond-area public schools with tweaking their academic calendars. Thanks, #snowbama.

February 1, 2016; 11:42 AM • by Valerie Catrow

Photo by: Pedro Vezini

Ahhhh Richmond in winter: kids climbing over still-melting piles of snow, parents trying to pin down exactly what day it is after multiple (unexpected) days at home, and local public schools scrambling to figure out what to do over lost instruction time.

Winter Storm Jonas kept Richmond-area students home for four days (and some change)–that combined with the state requiring a minimum of 990 teaching hours¹ each school year and the fact that we’ve still got two more months of winter has the area’s public school districts already announcing tweaks to their respective academic calendars. Some are scrapping holidays and/or early release days; some have cancelled testing; some are doing a little of both.

So! Parents, take note. And remember: this is all subject to change because even though we’re looking at temperatures in the 60s this week, who knows what Old Man Winter’s got up his ice-crusted sleeve?

Chesterfield County

• February 15th (President’s Day) is now a full school day.
• Report cards will be distributed on February 15th (rather than the 12th, as previously scheduled).

Hanover County

• Comprehensive tests (including quarterly tests and semester exams) are cancelled for middle schools. Middle school students taking high school level classes do have the option of still taking an exam.

Henrico County

• February 1st is now a full school day–that’s today, so if you’re kids aren’t at school…hurry up, I guess?
• Midterm exams for high schoolers and middle schoolers are cancelled. If a student wants to take an exam, the school will make that option available.

Richmond City

• February 3rd is now a full school day.
• February 9th is now the end of the second nine weeks (rather than February 2nd, as previously scheduled).
• February 10th is now a two-hour early dismissal day for students. This will serve as a replacement for the early dismissal/teacher workday originally scheduled for the 3rd.
• Report cards will be distributed on February 17th (rather than February 10th, as previously scheduled).

February 1, 2016 11:42 AM 0