CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board unanimously approved a plan Tuesday to convert two upcoming early release days into full days of instruction following eight days of weather-related cancellations.
Superintendent Crystal Hill recommended the changes to address concerns about learning loss after two back-to-back winter storms disrupted the academic schedule.
The calendar adjustments will turn Feb. 11 and April 29 from early release days into full days of in-person instruction for traditional schools.
Dr. Crystal Hill noted that the district has faced significant interruptions over the past two weeks.
“We have experienced two back-to-back winter storms that have caused interruptions to in-person instruction for eight consecutive days over the last two weeks,” Hill said.
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Beth Thompson, CMS chief strategy and innovation officer, said the district had already built extra instructional time into this year’s academic calendar. This buffer exceeded the minimum hours legally required by the state.
“The additional hours provide the ability to avoid having to make up lost instructional time using makeup days due to closures,” Thompson said.
Thompson acknowledged that the change to Feb. 11 comes on short notice for families. However, she noted that students had recently missed significant time due to a holiday, a teacher workday, and the winter storms.
Maintaining the early release day would have resulted in a fragmented schedule of full days, half days, and teacher workdays.
“And we do not feel like that gives our students continuity in instruction. We don’t think we’re doing the right thing by kids to do that,” Thompson said.
District leadership emphasized that while they are not legally required to make these changes, they prioritized student needs.
Thompson stated the district is “looking for any opportunities that could provide additional in-person instructional hours for our students in this year’s calendar with the least amount of disruption.”
Superintendent Hill supported the move as a way to prioritize academic recovery.
“We do want to provide every opportunity for students to be back in school and learning in person,” Hill said.
VIDEO: Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board considers calendar adjustments amid winter disruptions
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