Some area school systems will need to make up snow days

OK kids, fun time is over.

This week’s big snowfall meant as many as three days off for lots of Lynchburg-area schoolchildren.

Now, some systems will amend calendars to make up days, while others already had inclement-weather time built into the schedule.

With school finally back in session, here‘s a district-by-district account of snow days this year.

In Lynchburg City Schools, students and teachers headed back to class Wednesday after two snow days this week. Leigh Forrester, division spokeswoman, said the system has had four snow days this year, which were built in to the calendar.

Campbell County students didn’t head back to classes until Thursday, and that day had a two-hour delayed start. Marty Harvey, an administrative assis-tant, said the division has four days built into the schedule. In addition, the school day is longer than state requirements. Harvey said this allows the county to “bank time” to go toward missed days due to inclement weather.

The district has had seven snow days. Harvey said if division officials want to make up days a calendar change would go before the school board.

According to the division’s Web site, students will attend a full day of classes Friday to compensate for snow, instead of dismissing two hours early as planned.

Bedford County students headed to school two hours late Thursday after having three days off. Ryan Edwards, division spokesman, said Bedford has 108 hours banked in its calendar for inclement weather.

Edwards said so far the divi-sion has used 46.5 of those hours, which translates to seven inclement-weather days and three days with two-hour delays. He said if the division doesn’t use all the banked hours, the calendar wouldn’t change.

Amherst County students headed back to school two hours late on Wednesday. The division was closed for snow Monday and Tuesday. Mark Lineburg, assistant superintendent for operations, said Amherst has missed seven days due to snow.

Officials had already built several snow days into the schedule, Lineburg said. In fact students and teachers already made up two days in February. Appomattox County Schools missed three days of school this week. Annette Bennett, director of curriculum and instruction, said so far this year the division has missed four days. Bennett said they do not plan to make up any since the Appomattox calendar banks 10 days.

In Nelson County, students will make up some of their missed days. The division has had six snow days this year; make-up days can be found on the division’s Web site, at www.nelson.k12.va.us.

Snow days

Appomattox: 4 days

Amherst: 7 days

Bedford: 7 days

Campbell: 7 days

Lynchburg: 4 days

Nelson: 6 days

For many area school systems, more inclement weather days can mean an earlier start to the school year. Many divisions apply to the state education depart-ment to open before Labor Day. In order to do so, school systems must show “good cause,” which can include having a certain amount of inclement-weather days.

Divisions that missed an aver-age of eight days per year in any five of the last 10 years could be eligible to open early, according to the Virginia Department of Education Web site.