March 26th, 2015 by WCBC Radio
School systems in Maryland can apply to waive up to three snow days this year. After a winter that saw many systems delay and cancel classes because of snow and ice, the state Board of Education voted Tuesday to authorize Superintendent Lillian Lowery to make case-by-case decisions on waivers from the state's 180-day requirement. The board also asked that each system's waiver request include an outline of calendar changes made to meet students' instructional needs. So far, officials say 11 school systems have requested waivers, but others may make requests in coming weeks. There's no timetable for decisions on the requests. The board has already allowed four school systems to open on the Monday after Easter, a state school holiday, to make up some of the lost time. Snow days have pushed back the last day of school for the 2014-15 school year to June 11, barring further bad weather or other changes. Locally, at its regular March meeting last, the Allegany County School Board approved requesting a waiver from the state that would allow the county to add a half day makeup day on April 6, Easter Monday, to the school calendar. There were already five snow days built into the calendar, but those days weren’t enough to account for the 10 days on which school has been canceled so far this winter. The board also decided to push back the grading period, so the next report cards will be issued April 16. Although it may seem like a simple exercise, Superintendent David Cox described handling the school calendar a “messy process” and requires a number of steps as well as state approval…
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