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Following recent weather events that interrupted 8 days of in-person classes, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will turn 2 early dismissals into full instructional days
by Lindsey Banks
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will turn two early release days — Feb. 11 and April 29 — into full student instruction days to make up the hours lost in the aftermath of recent winter weather events.
The CMS Board of Education unanimously made the decision 9-0, with the recommendation of Superintendent Crystal Hill, in an emergency meeting streamed on YouTube earlier this evening. You can watch the full meeting here.
Today marked the eighth day of school affected by the recent winter weather in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. Last week, following a quarter-inch of ice, CMS canceled classes on Monday, Jan. 26, went remote Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 27 and 28, and started on a delay Thursday and Friday, Jan. 29 and 30. This week, after a snowstorm that brought up to 11 inches of snow to the area, CMS canceled classes Monday and Tuesday and operated on a remote learning day today (Feb. 4).
“That is not ideal for student learning,” Hill said during the emergency meeting.
Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Beth Thompson said that CMS is still within the state requirements for instructional hours to not adjust the 2025-26 academic calendar (185 instructional days or 1,025 instructional hours, with five remote days allowed and four closed days waived by the superintendent that do not require a make-up day). However, Thompson said, “We know our students have a lot of learning left to do this year.”
CMS currently exceeds state requirements with 1,063 planned hours in the calendar, and has two remote learning days left for this semester, and one remaining waived day.
“To be clear, there is nothing requiring us to do this; we’re doing this because we know how important being in school is,” Thompson said.
The district hasn’t used any make-up days yet, WFAE reported Tuesday. Schools will have a regular school day tomorrow (Feb. 5).
Lindsey Banks is assistant editor for The Charlotte Ledger: [email protected].
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