TO:            District Superintendents                 

FROM:      Sarah C. Longshore

                  Director, Office of Federal and State Accountability

DATE:       September 1, 2019

RE:            School Closings

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide annual notice of the requirements for school and district closings due to snow, extreme weather conditions, or other disruptions; and to remind districts of two separate reporting requirements. Per state law (S.C. Code Ann. §59-1-425), all districts must set aside three days in the annual academic calendar to be used as make-up days. For the 2019–20 school year, the five districts from the 2018–19 school year and an additional ten districts are participating in a one-year technology Digital Learning Plan pilot program with the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee (EOC) and will be using alternative methods of making up days missed.

For schools that are closed four to six days due to snow, extreme weather conditions, or other disruptions, the local school board of trustees, by a majority vote, may waive those missed days. This board waiver would apply to any applicable school, charter school, or home school association. Alternatively, the local school board of trustees may elect to make up days four to six by lengthening the school day for at least one hour or by operating on a Saturday. Saturday school operations must accommodate or alternatively reschedule normal Saturday tutorial instruction. Plans to lengthen the school day, however, must be approved by the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE), Office of Federal and State Accountability (OFSA), prior to implementation. For any schools closed six to nine days due to snow, extreme weather conditions, or other disruptions, the local school board may request a waiver from the State Board of Education (SBE).

The Calendar and Closure System has been redesigned and is located in the Member Center. This is where districts will report school or district closures as well as plans to make up closures. The previously used FormStack application is no longer available for reporting. The new Calendar and Closure System will allow districts to report closures due to many of the most common reasons, including, but not limited to, unscheduled early releases, unscheduled late starts, and unscheduled full day closures.

During hazardous weather, the South Carolina Emergency Management Division uses this application to report school closures to the Governor, state agencies, and statewide news media. For these reasons, it is imperative that closure reporting via the application be completed in a timely manner. Your district web access manager should ensure now, before inclement weather occurs, that the current, appropriate district and school personnel have access for reporting. The Calendar and Closure System and corresponding training videos are located in the Member Center. The public facing report of closings can be found at www.SCSchoolClosings.com.

Finally, the General Assembly requires the SCDE to submit an annual report that includes all days missed, reasons for closures, dates of the make-up days, and dates of any days the local school board waived. All districts, including those participating in the EOC’s pilot program, must report all school closures in the Calendar and Closure System. These responses must be completed no later than five (5) days after the school or district reopens from the event that caused the closure.

The chart below will assist you with determining the district’s responsibilities under the law.

School Closing Days	Action to be Taken	Responsible Party
1-3	All days must be made-up before the school year ends.	District Superintendent and Local School Board of Trustees
4-6	Waive missed days                 OR Extended the school day by at least one hour or have Saturday school, but must have plan approved by OFSA first	Local School Board of Trustees (a majority vote is required for waiver)
7-9	District requests SBE waiver	State Board of Education

If you have any questions, please contact Greg King, OFSA Education Associate, by e-mail at gking@ed.sc.gov or by phone at 803-734-0025
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cc: District Public Information Officers