SNOW HILL – Education officials approved June 15 as the official last day of the school year.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the Worcester County Board of Education voted unanimously to adjust the calendar for the current school year as a result of the COVID-19 closures that occurred in March.
According to Carrie Sterrs, the school system’s coordinator of public relations and special programs, Worcester County Public Schools asked state officials for a waiver regarding the 10 days that schools were ordered to close March 16-27 to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
“The superintendent has received a response to the school system’s waiver request,” Sterrs said. “Within that response, State Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon agreed to waive five of the 10 days that Maryland schools were mandated to be closed in March.”
Though schools were subsequently ordered to remain closed for the rest of the school year, a continuity of learning plan — which provides students with virtual instruction and so counts toward the 180-day school year requirement — was put in place. To help make up for the five days of instruction not waived from the 10-day March closure, the school system already shortened last month’s spring break.
“This has left a gap of two student instructional days which the school system needs to address through a final modification,” Sterrs said.
Sterrs said Superintendent Lou Taylor recommended ending the school year on Monday, June 15 rather than on Thursday, June 11, as proposed earlier this year, to eliminate the two-day deficit. June 12 and June 15 will be early dismissal days for students so teachers will be able to use the time to finalize grades, Sterrs said.
The board voted unanimously to approve the calendar modification.
