State Denies 180 Day Waiver Requests from Counties

The West Virginia Board of Education and State Superintendent of Schools have denied the requests of nearly 30 counties to waive their 180 instructional day requirement.

Twenty-seven counties applied for a general waiver of the instructional days from the state Board of Education. Twenty-nine school systems applied for a separate waiver specifically from the state Superintendent of Schools after a federally declared state of emergency was issued in their counties.

Both waiver requests were for days missed because of weather, including snow and heavy rain that caused flooding in southern West Virginia earlier this year.

All of waiver requests were denied Wednesday during a state board meeting, mainly because schools requested to use accrued time to make up for the missed days.

State code says students must receive 180 separate days of instruction each year and board members pointed out allowing counties to use accrued time would violate code.

“I just think that time needs to be considered and the quality time that’s spent in the classroom needs to be considered,” Raleigh County Superintendent David Price said after his county’s waiver was denied.  

Lawmakers took up two bills this year to allow counties to use accrued time to make up missed days, but neither bill was approved this session.