‘Tis the Season – For Winter Weather
The calendar is inching
closer to the official start
of winter, and we know the
weather here in Cabarrus
County can get a bit dicey,
ultimately wreaking havoc
on the school year calendar
with delays, closings, and
make-up days.
Cabarrus County Schools wants to help parents, staff and the
community prepare for any changes to the school schedule that might
occur as a result of inclement weather or other emergency situations.
Remember, you can always call the CCS Information Line at 704-
784-6197 to find out current information about any district-wide
school closings or delays.
Deci sions, decisions
The superintendent uses information obtained from weather
forecasts and district personnel about road conditions when
determining whether school should be cancelled, delayed, or
dismissed early due to severe weather.
Decisions about delaying or canceling school or dismissing
school early as a result of inclement weather – or even the threat of
inclement weather – are never easy. But CCS always will err on the
side of caution to keep our employees and students safe.
In addition to weather and road conditions, we also have to
consider the many new and inexperienced student drivers who drive
themselves to school each day. When school must be dismissed early
or is closed, parents should make arrangements for childcare, as the
KIDS:PLUS after-school and before-school programs will not operate
on those days.
The view from here
Cabarrus County Schools encompasses a large geographic area,
and as such, road conditions in one part of the county can differ from
those on another side of the county. Just because the view outside
your door is clear doesn’t mean it’s that same way a few miles away.
We have to factor in all road conditions and evaluate whether it is
safe to put buses, student drivers and our employees on the road.
In addition to relying on weather reports, we also rely on
reconnaissance gained from a special group of employees who
actually drive the main thoroughfares and back roads of our county to
assess conditions to help in the decision about whether it is safe for
our school buses, employees, parents and student drivers to travel.
Word on the street
Information about school cancellations, delays and early
dismissals will be posted to the district website at www.cabarrus.k12.
nc.us. Additionally, the CCS Information Office will contact families
and staff via the Blackboard Connect notification system via phone
and email with an appropriate message. Information also will be
shared on:
n CCS social media sites (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram)
n Local media outlets (newspaper, radio and television)
n
CabCo TV Channel 21 (Spectrum)
Making-up is hard to do
Snow days may be fun, but then…reality sets in.
Will we have to make up the day? Perhaps.
When will the make-up day be? We will let you know.
These are great questions, and we wish we had a simple answer.
However, there are numerous factors to consider regarding make-up
days. First and foremost is whether students have logged enough
hours in school to comply with the N.C. school calendar law, which
requires public school students to attend school for 1,025 hours. The
law also dictates when school can begin and when it can end, but it
does not ‘build in’ extra days to the calendar that can be used as a
‘buffer’ in anticipation of inclement weather.
If our school system has surpassed or is on track to surpass the
state requirements, the missed day may be forgiven. Other factors
when determining make-up days include:
n Weather forecasts for subsequent days (is more inclement
weather possible?)
n Protecting certain designated days on the school calendar, e.g.
Spring Break
n Likelihood of additional inclement weather – typically, January
and February are when most of our inclement weather occurs
The Cabarrus County Board of Education approves the academic
calendar, which includes designated make-up days (many of which
are holidays), as well as the option to use Saturdays as make-
up days instead of a designated day. Using Saturdays sometimes
provides a better chance of preserving an extended break such as
Spring Break.
We understand that Saturday make-up days may conflict with
family plans. Rest assured our principals and teachers will work with
students affected to make-up missed assignments.
Parting thoughts The information that you receive from CCS or
that you see posted on an official district communication channel
(website, Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram or Channel 21) is
the only information you should
consider reliable.
No announcement or
notification from the district
means it’s business as usual,
and school is operating on a
normal schedule.
Parent Teacher Magazine • January/February 2018 • 5