Fulton Schools To Make Up Days Lost Due To Weather

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — The Fulton County School System has announced that its students will make up three of the eight days lost this school year due to inclement weather. The days the system has chosen are Feb. 16, March 9 and March 12.

Feb. 16 was announced earlier this year as a makeup day due to Hurricane Irma school closures, but the district has determined that March 12 will be a second make-up day for the recent winter weather closures.

A third make-up day – March 9 – will be a piloted Digital Learning Day, where students will work independently from home on schoolwork and projects using district-issued mobile devices or home technology. The district will communicate the specifics of the March 9 Digital Learning Day to individual schools and teachers.

“We value the instructional time spent with our students, and are committed to using it wisely, but due to the flexibility given to us by our district’s charter status, we will not make up all of the time lost,” said Superintendent Jeff Rose, Ed.D. “Instead, we have a plan that uses the designated inclement weather days on the school calendar as well as a piloted ‘Digital Learning Day’ for at-home learning. We are confident that our schools will be diligent and intentional with the time they have with students.”

As a charter school district, Fulton County Schools has the option of deciding how it manages lost instructional time. Also, several years ago the district added 10 minutes to each school day resulting in instructional time that far exceeds the state’s requirement for the school year.

“Instructional time is important for our students as we head into second semester,” Dr. Rose added. “This plan allows students more instructional time while being sensitive to family schedules.”

In 2015, Fulton County began a device roll-out that pairs students with mobile learning devices, such as a tablet or laptop. At the elementary level, students share mobile devices while at school, and in middle and high schools, students are given their own device and can use it at home.

For the Digital Learning Day, schools will consider students’ home access to technology and internet, and also will work with learning partners on ways students can access technology outside of school or home.

“We’re also excited to use March 9 as a Digital Learning Day and leverage technology to connect students with their teachers when they are not at school,” the superintendent noted. “This pilot will allow us to collect important feedback we can use for possible digital learning days during future weather events where it is necessary to close schools.”

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