Update 6:30 p.m. Tuesday: All York County schools and offices will be closed Wednesday. All practices and activities are also canceled. Essential personnel should report as directed by their supervisor, according to a school division tweet.
With more snow forecast for Wednesday, the possibility of closures and cancellations in Greater Williamsburg looms ahead.
Less than two weeks after a ground blizzard caused schools to close for five full days, York County and Williamsburg-James City County schools are facing potential school cancellations again — although no decisions have been made yet, according to school officials.
If school is canceled again, here is some information about make-up days at WJCC and York County schools:
Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools
WJCC Schools did not need to schedule any make-up days after the snow storm closed school for five days earlier this month, but any additional snow days will require make-up time.
Schools are required by the state to have 990 hours of school each year, and any additional time off due to weather will put the division below that benchmark, according to Betsy Overkamp-Smith, school division spokeswoman.
If there are any more snow days, some or all of the following calendar adjustments will be made, in order of listing:
- March 2, 2018, will become a full school day for all students (previously an early release)
- April 19, 2018, will become a full school day for all students (previously an elementary early release day; parent conferences will be rescheduled as needed)
- March 30, 2018, will become a full school day for all students (previously a student holiday)
- Feb. 19, 2018, will become a full school day for all students (President’s Day)
Parents and school staff will be notified “immediately” if this year’s school calendar is adjusted, Overkamp-Smith said.
York County School Division
York County students already have two make-up days scheduled after the last snowstorm resulted in five days off and a one-hour early release.
Like WJCC Schools, York County schools are also required to reach 990 hours of instruction time each year, according to school spokeswoman Katherine Goff.
The two scheduled make-up days keep the division above the 990-hour minimum, Goff said. No additional make-up days have been scheduled yet.
Here are the changes administrators have made to the school calendar so far:
- Wednesday, Jan. 24 through Friday, Jan. 26 will be converted to full days for all students.
- Monday, Jan. 29 through Wednesday, Jan. 31 will be converted to early release days for all students.
- High school course exams will be administered beginning Friday, Jan. 26.
- Monday, Feb. 19 will now be a regular school day for students and staff.
The two make up days were scheduled after administrators considered the possibility of more inclement weather in January, February and March.
“When considering the options to make up days as we proceed through the school year, the division believes that a proactive approach is most beneficial to our students,” Goff said.
This story will be updated as information becomes available.
