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Pinellas County Schools’ make-up days announced
Pinellas County public school students missed approximately 50 hours (or 2 ½ days) due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. After planning, discussing and deliberating, the Pinellas County School Board has decided when the lost hours will be made up.
Pending a full vote Oct. 29, the new calendar will go into effect immediately.
At a Tuesday afternoon workshop, board members approved updates to the instructional calendar: Jan. 6 and Feb. 17, previously “off” days on the student calendar, will now be school days. And May 29, the last day of the school year, will be changed from a half-day to a full day.
“Our staff have put a lot of time and thought into how to ensure that we achieve academic excellence, while also having the compassion and acknowledgement for what our community has been through with the storms,” Chair Laura Hine told the Catalyst. “And I believe, through their recommendation, that they have achieved both those things.
“And we are waiving first semester exams,” Hines said. “That’s such a big deal. One of the things we thought about was ‘Should we just push them back to January? Keep those exams, keep that rigor?’ But that’s over winter break, and all of that.”
Adding school days to Thanksgiving or spring break holidays were also rejected. “We all need a little Thanksgiving right now,” Hine said.
“And also by waving first semester exams, it captures about another four days of instruction. The other thing I think is important, that people need to understand, is that the high school graduations are going to occur towards the end of May. Whereas they often occur in the middle of May. That’s capturing another several days of instruction.
“They’re still going to graduate by the last day of school. We aren’t pushing graduations into June or anything.”
Lisa Pineda
October 25, 2024at11:51 am
If they missed 50 hours, that is way more than 2.5 school days since they are 7 hour days. Why would they write it like this?
Elizabeth Adams
October 25, 2024at8:10 am
I believe that some weather days are akready built into the calendar. The make days are for days beyond those built in days
joe
October 24, 2024at12:09 pm
Kids were out of school 7 days total from both hurricanes. Please explain where you only get 2.5 days.
(2 days with Helene and 5 days with Milton)
Donielle Watson
October 24, 2024at8:45 am
The guy in the press conference stated they have extra time built up as it is and basically said there isn’t a need for make up days. Y’all have these children for 12 effing years they’ll make it up. Do not take their off days. The public school system already doesn’t have 12yrs of education to teach, it’s useless and I’m about to sue for inadequate education if they keep wasting their time teaching stuff we know today to not be true, accurate or even needed. And if my child tells me mars is ‘the red planet’ one more time ima loose my composure. The pictures from nasa come back grey scale that’s it!!!! And a team of people edit all the photos and pick colors that is nice to look at smh absolutely absurd. Stop teaching false information and you wouldn’t need to hold them hostage for TWELVE YEARS. Personally I think they should be done after 8th grade and anything else should be a choice to either enter the work force or choose to further education. High school and after is just wasting time. Being babysitters.