AURORA | The Cherry Creek School District announced Wednesday, April 6, that it will add 12 minutes to the school day at 16 elementary schools through the end of the academic year in an effort to reclaim lost time following a barrage of snow days.
In a statement released Wednesday, April 6, CCSD Superintendent Dr. Harry Bull said that after being forced to close schools a record five times so far this year, administrators needed to add classroom time at elementary schools in order to recoup lost learning time and ensure future state funding, which can be impacted by how much or how little students are in classrooms any given year.
Across the impacted schools, seven minutes will be added to the beginning of the school day and five minutes will be tacked on to the end of the day, according to Bull. Slight tweaks will also be made to lunch and recess schedules. The exact changes at each school will occur on a building-by-building basis and will only be in effect until the end of the school year, which for most schools is May 27, according to Bull. School principals will contact parents regarding specific changes.
“Elementary schools are different when it comes to specific schedules,” Bull said in a statement. “Every school offers more than the minimum of instructional time during a given year, but schedules vary. Falling short of meeting the requirements is not an option.”
The flurry of weather closures this school year follows nearly two consecutive years of no closures at all, according to CCSD.
“The decision to call off classes on those days were not made lightly – the safety and security of students, teachers and staff is always our top priority, and canceling district operations was the best option as we faced brutal weather conditions,” Bull said.
Tustin Amole, spokeswoman for CCSD said that the last time the district’s schools were closed due to weather prior to the current school year was during the late summer floods of 2013.
Currently, no changes will be made to middle or high school schedules, although additional snow days could change that reality, according to Bull. He acknowledged the possible repercussions tied to enacting the scheduling amendments at elementary schools.
“As we work to meet the necessary requirements, be assured that we recognize the potential impact on personal schedules,” Bull said. “We believe this plan appropriately balances the requirements of instruction with the individual needs and plans of our community.”
Aurora Public Schools has not yet made any changes to that district’s school schedules, according to Patti Moon, spokeswoman for APS.