He gave himself plenty of wiggle room, but Arlington Superintendent Francisco Durán on Jan. 20 said the school system would try to avoid further inclement-weather disruptions by shifting to online learning when the weather outside is frightful rather than delightful.
But in an oral report to School Board members, Durán parsed his words carefully, saying virtual learning only would occur “if possible.”
The school system already is out of built-in inclement-weather days, having used them to accommodate a major snowstorm early in January and another day lost on Jan. 20 due to an anticipated snowstorm that turned out to deliver a cold rain instead. As a result, if Mother Nature tosses any more curveballs at the region this winter, Arlington students may have to make up the days later down the road if the virtual-learning option doesn’t pan out as expected.
Durán’s staff has identified five days – March 4 and 16 and June 8, 15 and 16 – that could be used as makeup days if needed to fulfill the state government’s mandate of a minimum of 180 days or 990 hours in class. School Board members are expected to formally make decisions on a plan in early February.