Fayetteville schools’ switch to alternate calendar approved

FAYETTEVILLE — The Fayetteville School District’s certified and classified personnel policy committees voted to approve the School Board’s decision to switch to an alternate academic calendar, according to a district news release Friday.

The approvals mean the district will move from the traditional 178-day school year to an hours-based academic calendar to avoid making up snow days at the end of the school year. Fayetteville has already lost seven days of instruction to snow and ice.

The board voted 7-0 on Thursday to make the switch, but both personnel policy committees had to approve the change for it to take effect.

Starting Feb. 5, the move will add 35 minutes to the end of the school day for grades 5-12, according to the release. Kindergarten through fourth grade aren’t affected because of additional instruction time already built into their daily schedules, Superintendent John Mulford said. He added the district will be flexible with those who have scheduling conflicts.

Middle schools will run from 7:40 a.m. to 3:20 p.m., with junior highs running from 8:25 a.m. to 4:05 p.m. and Fayetteville High School starting at 8:30 a.m. with a 4:05 p.m. dismissal, according to the news release.

The Arkansas Department of Education has allowed school districts to revise calendars at mid-year in the wake of bad weather closing schools and districts losing instructional days ahead of state standardized tests.

Starting Feb. 5 allows the district to get in all the additional minutes to make up for the seven snow days, said Alan Wilbourn, the district’s executive director of communications.