School board seeks state approval to allow instruction during snow days
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Wednesday, April 29, 2015, 11 p.m. — Students in the Nelson County Schools may have fewer snow days 
to make up next year — even when snow and ice make it impossible for school buses to travel county roadways.
The Nelson County Board of Education met Tuesday night and approved the district’s application to establish a Non-Traditional Instruction Plan that will allow students to continue their academic work on days when classes are canceled.
Superintendent Anthony Orr said the application is the district’s first step in a plan to minimize the impact snow days have on the district’s instructional calendar. The plan will combine the district’s existing learning technology with additional digital and print resources.
The plan doesn’t leave students behind who may not have computers or broadband internet access at home, Orr said. Learning materials will be made available in various formats, offline as well as online.
SUPERINTENDENT ANTHONY ORR
The district plans to call the Non-Traditional Instruction days “Best” days, a nod to the district’s slogan, “Expect the Best.” Families will be alerted by One Call phone messages when the “Best” day plan is activated.
On “Best” days, the district will open the schools, and teachers and staff who can safely make it to school will do so. On these designated Non-Traditional Instruction days, teachers will be required to at least be available to students online from 8-11 a.m. and noon-3 p.m.
Students who make it to school will be able to do their work in the computer labs, Orr said. Students will be required to complete the tasks assigned on the Non-Traditional instruction day.
Once successfully implemented, the Non-Traditional instruction days will be counted by the Kentucky Department of Education as regular instructional days.
Not every snow day will be a good candidate to be a Non-Traditional instruction day, Orr explained. The first day of an ice storm or significant snow event will probably be considered a traditional snow day, he said. But after road conditions improve, the district may declare a “Best” day.
The special board meeting Tuesday was scheduled to allow time for the application to get to Frankfort before the May 1 deadline.
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