CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – School leaders in Clarksville-Montgomery County have added Feb. 7 back into the calendar in an effort to reserve two stockpile days in case they’re needed.
Wednesday, Feb. 7, was intended to be a Professional Development Day, in which students are off but teachers and staff have training. Instead, on Monday night the CMCSS School Board voted unanimously to approve holding classes that day.
Students have been out a lot this winter. After the Dec. 9 tornado, students were out for five days, followed by winter break. Not long after they returned, Middle Tennessee was hit by a round of ice and snow that kept kids out of school for four days.
CMCSS has applied for a waiver from the state for the five tornado days, and schools spokesman Anthony Johnson told Clarksville Now they are confident the waiver will be approved. That would leave the system with five inclement weather days, but four were used during the winter storm, so only one was left.
With Feb. 7 now back on the calendar, that leaves two stockpiled days, plus the option to remove the President’s Day holiday (Feb. 19) if needed.
School leaders are trying to avoid consequences they have faced in previous years, when CMCSS ran out of stockpile days and the school days were extended for 30 minutes per day to meet state regulations and instructional needs.
Plus, it appears that teachers and students are ready to spend more time in the classroom. Monday was the first day back after several days of everyone being stuck at home. Schools Director Dr. Jean Luna-Vedder pointed out, to some laughter from the audience, “Today’s attendance was the highest attendance rate that it has been in last three months, so we’re pretty sure that parents were just as excited to send those students back.”
Johnson said a notification will be sent out to families Tuesday morning.