Clinton County was among one of 44 additional school districts across the state that was approved for the ‘nontraditional,’ or snow days, that can be used to educate students even during days when students can’t attend class due to weather.

Tina Langford, Director of District Wide Programs, and who will be retiring at the end of the month, is in the process of educating faculty, students, parents, and the community about the new program. The program would be used next year after six days of school is missed due to inclement weather, illness or other unforeseen circumstance.

As of the end of last week, all teachers in the district at each school had received a review of the new program, how it will be implemented, how it will work, and the goals of the program.

Langford noted only four make-up days have been included into the 2015-16 school year calendar. That would prevent classes from being extended well past the hoped for ending date, saying that is one of the reasons the “cyber” school days, as the new program is also called, may come in handy if many days are missed this winter.

The non-traditional days will allow students to complete homework via the internet and for those who do not have access to a computer, they will receive a packet with a time line to complete and turn in the work to receive class credit on days in which buses cannot run.

Each district participating in the new program can use up to 10 cyber snow days for such instruction without the need for classes to be extended at the end of the school term.

In fliers and advertisements being released reminding the public of the new nontraditional program implementation, it notes the primary reasons for the addition as being “to improve student learning.” It also noted it is very difficult to maintain sequential, cohesive instruction when students are out of school for many days in a row. This will enable students to review taught concepts and will keep material fresh in students’ minds.

All students in the district will be sent home with folders on Friday, December 4. These folders need to be kept in a safe place. All parents will also be notified about the instructional packets being sent by the All Call system.

“We have to sell the new program to the kids,” said Langford, explaining it would be harder to grasp for students at the middle and high school levels. The importance of the program is that it could keep the school year from being extended into June if several days are missed due to weather or illness.

Langford also stressed that the non-traditional school days would not take effect until after the first six days of school is missed, so in the event of a mild winter, it may not be needed at all.

Participation in the program is also very important, as the program is renewed on a year-to-year basis and if enough participation (for student attendance or completion of class work) isn’t shown, that district may not be renewed for the program the next year.

Langford said that all 13 districts that participated last year were renewed for this year.

She said that turning in class work from the instructional packets on time is also important, as students will have two days to turn in the work after returning to class following the non-traditional days. Also, each student and parent will be notified when a day missed is actually a non-traditional day.

The following is also important information about the new program from the non-traditional school days information sheet.

What is a Non-Traditional School Plan? In response to the significant number of absent days in recent years, Clinton County School District has been granted a Non-Traditional School Days waiver which has been designated as Cyber School Days. This detailed plan outlines how instruction will be delivered for all students during a day when school is not open due to unforeseen circumstances. The plan gives teachers the opportunity to refine their online presence for content delivery and provides hard copy content for those students that may not have access to technology or network resources. The planned result is less loss of instructional time and increased ability to learn new content when school is back in session.

Delivery: Digital and hard copy material will be available for students on Cyber School Days through a school folder and the district website. A folder with lessons will be distributed to students after school starts on Dececember 4. A One-Call will notify families when the folder is being sent home. Please store this folder at home until the student needs to use it.

Time: Starting in 2015, when unforeseen circumstances or road conditions are hazardous for bus travel, but are expected to improve throughout the day, the superintendent may determine the day as a “Cyber School Day.” Clinton County has been approved to close for up to 10 school days as Cyber School Days. Six days of school have to be missed before calling the first Cyber School Day.

Communications: A One-Call will be made to all students and staff announcing the Cyber School Day. In addition, announcements will be placed on the radio and school social media sites.

Content: During weekly PLCs, teachers will work together as a grade level and as content-area teams to identify the standards to be selected for the folder. Cyber School Day work will give students’ the opportunity to review and apply content from their core classes in order to ensure their understanding of essential concepts and skills.

Accountability: Students will be required to complete the tasks assigned during the Cyber School Day within two days of returning from the Cyber Day. Students will submit their work in the district provided. Cyber Day white folder to the teacher. Student participation will be determined as students complete their assigned work.

Support: Certified staff will report to their schools to answer and make calls to parents (if travel is acceptable). Community partners who offer internet access, such as Area Technology Center, Somerset Community College Clinton County, and the public library will be contacted on Cyber Snow Days, so they can be prepared to assist students who need to use computers. Any student who chooses to use the school computer lab must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

What are teachers and administrators doing on Cyber School Days?

All staff will be expected to keep a log of the activities that will fulfill their contractual obligations from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Principals will discuss with staff prior to the use of any non-traditional days the types of work that will be acceptable. Staff who are able to travel can report to the school and answer student calls, emails, as well as work in the computer labs with any students who might choose to use them.

What happens if a child misplaces the Cyber School Day lesson? Cyber School Day lessons will be distributed to students at school.

If a student is unable to complete the lesson packet prior to returning to school, he/she will have additional time to make up the missing work by staying after school. All Cyber School Day work will be due on the second day following the return to school.