Prairie Grove district announces plan to make up snow days

PRAIRIE GROVE — The School District has a plan to make up for instruction time missed because of snow days.

Prairie Grove students will go to school Feb. 19, which is Presidents Day, to make up one snow day from January. The district will use its Wednesday afternoon hours to make up the other four days it’s missed because of inclement weather.

Superintendent Lance Campbell spelled out how students and staff would make up the five snow days in a letter to community members. Prairie Grove canceled class on Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 16-17 and Jan. 22 because of snow and icy conditions.

However, Campbell warned parents in the letter that if school has to be canceled because of more winter weather, the district may have to add days to the end of the year. He said administrators will work to avoid that scenario, if possible.

The district started the 2023-24 school year dismissing early on Wednesdays to allow teachers to meet in their professional development communities. Results of an anonymous survey last semester showed most staff members did not believe or were not sure that early release was in the best interest of students.

The School Board voted in November to return to full classroom days on Wednesdays, beginning in January.

Campbell said the state Education Department is allowing Prairie Grove to use the extra 1½ hours on Wednesdays to make up the hours missed because of inclement weather in January.

Prairie Grove’s 2023-24 calendar shows May 24 as the last day of school. May 28-30 are listed as snow makeup days if needed.