Hillsboro School District Announces Inclement Weather Make-Up Plan -02/07/17

District to make up six of nine lost days by adding April 14 and the week of June 19-23 as instructional days February 7, 2017, Hillsboro, OR --Hillsboro School Board members voted unanimously tonight to approve an amended version of the District's proposed plan for making up days lost during this unprecedented winter weather season. A total of nine instructional days were canceled in December 2016 and January 2017 due to snow and ice. After considering a variety of options to address the lost days, District staff proposed the following plan: * Eliminating late start/early release on Wednesdays for Academic Seminar starting Wednesday, February 15. Currently, staff meet for an hour each Wednesday to engage in professional development and collaboration regarding students during Academic Seminar. Thirty minutes of that time comes from students arriving late at the secondary level, and leaving early at the elementary level. Under the proposed plan, Academic Seminar would be reduced by 30 minutes, allowing students to start and end their day at normal times on Wednesdays for the remainder of the year. * Making Friday, April 14, a school day. April 14 had been identified as a no-school day for teacher preparation at the elementary level and grade preparation at the secondary level. Mid-semester grades will still be available on ParentVUE/StudentVUE for middle and high school students; however, they will serve more as progress indicators as opposed to full quarter grades. * Adding Monday through Friday, June 19-23, as school days for students in grades K-11. Last days of school and graduation dates for current seniors will remain unchanged. All other students will be expected to attend school the week of June 19-23, 2017, with June 23 being an early-release day. The Board discussed the plan and ultimately decided that the additional built-in time on Wednesdays for Academic Seminar was more valuable than the 1.5 days it would have allowed the District to recapture throughout the semester. Therefore, late start/early release on Wednesdays will remain in place through the rest of the school year. The loss of instructional days is particularly impactful to high school students who are taking AP and IB courses and preparing for exams in May. School staff have created plans to provide additional time for their AP and IB students through activities such as before- and/or after-school study sessions, and Saturday morning study sessions. These plans will be supported by district resources. An updated 2016-17 calendar reflecting the approved changes will be posted to the District website, www.hsd.k12.or.us, on Wednesday, Feb. 8. ###