Parent Teacher Magazine Cabaruss County Schools January 2015 | Page 9

‘Tis the Season – For Winter Weather

We all know winter weather can wreak 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.

Decisions, 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. However, we always err on the side of caution to keep our
students and employees safe.
When school must be dismissed early or is closed, parents should make
arrangements for childcare, as the KIDS:PLUS after-school and beforeschool programs will not operate that day.

2014-2015 SCHOOL CALENDAR

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 Time Warner Cable Channel 21
n CCS social media sites (Facebook and Twitter)
n Local media outlets

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Labor Day Holiday
Elementary Early Dismissal
Teacher Workday
Teacher Workday
Veterans Day Holiday
Thanksgiving Holiday
Winter Break
New Year’s Holiday
High School Early Dismissal
Early Dismissal
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
Teacher Workday
President’s Day
Elementary Early Dismissal
Teacher Workday
Spring Break
Spring Break
Good Friday
Teacher Workday
Memorial Day Holiday
High School Early Dismissal
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

Please keep in mind that no announcement means school is operating
on a normal schedule.
Making-up is hard to do
Snow days may be fun, but then…reality sets in.
Will we have to make up the day? When will the make-up day be?
There are numerous factors to consider regarding make-up days. First
and foremost is whether students have logged enough hours or days in
school to comply with the N.C. school calendar law, which requires public
school students to attend school for 1,025 hours or 185 days. The law
also dictates when school can begin and when it can end. The law does
not ‘build in’ extra days to the calendar that can be used as a ‘buffer’ for
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, i.e.
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 a ɔ)