School district sets makeup date for December snow day

Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009 | 5:24 p.m.

DEC. 17, 2008 SNOWFALL IN LAS VEGAS

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Coverage of the December snowstorm

A day off from school because of snow last month may have been fun, but now students will make up that time on March 2.

Previously scheduled as a staff development day, when students stay home but teachers come in for seminars or other work, March 2 will now be a regular school day.

Teachers and principals were expected to report for work anyway, but now their students will be there also.

The exception will be students on track five of the year-round schedule, who were on track break during the snow day. Track five students will be allowed to take the day off, but everyone else will be expected to attend class.

Dec. 18 was the first snow day the Clark County School District has taken since 1979. School was canceled the day after up to 8 inches of snow fell in the afternoon and evening of Dec. 17. School District officials were worried about the safety of buses, which carry more than 80,000 students, traveling over potentially icy roads the next morning.

The day students returned, Dec. 19, was the final day of school before winter break.

Many of the students spent the day off snowboarding, sledding, building snowmen or having snowball fights in their local parks, which they said was preferable to a day otherwise filled with lectures and homework.

Frances Vanderploeg can be reached at 990-2660 or frances.vanderploeg@hbcpub.com.

Discussion: 2 comments so far…

By vsestini

1/16/09 at 6:33 a.m.

Suggest removal

Since administrators and support staff reported as usual on the 'snow day' will they now receive overtime pay for this 'make-up day'? They were paid for the snow day as if it were a normal day, but now if they must report on Mar 2, will this be overtime pay for them, will they not get paid or paid regular rate?
By ShannonK

1/16/09 at 7:22 a.m.

Suggest removal

Yes, Virgil, isn't that amazing how ridiculous the whole thing is? They'll have to pay the support staff and administrators extra, the staff development day is apparently moved to add one day at the very end of the school year for the teachers, and track 5 students don't have to make anything up. Sounds about right to me.