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Great Valley board opens discussion on virtual "flexible instruction days" as calendar concern
Summary
Board members discussed adopting flexible instruction days (virtual instruction days) or a hybrid model to avoid extending the school year too late into June. No formal action was taken; staff will return with options for the April 21 meeting.
Superintendent Charice introduced a discussion at the April 7 work session about using flexible instruction days (FID) — remote instructional days the district can apply to PDE to use for inclement weather instead of making up traditional snow days at the end of the year.
Charice said FID applications must be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education by June 1, and PDE would notify districts by August 1 if approved. A district may use up to five FID days in a school year if approved. The superintendent said Great Valley is one of the few Chester County districts that does not currently use FID and that the district’s calendar already extends later into June than neighboring districts.
Board members and administrators discussed four main options: (1) apply immediately and use FID instead of some make-up days; (2) use a hybrid model that keeps two or three traditional snow days and then converts additional days to FID; (3) shorten or rework the existing calendar (for example, convert a conference day or reduce spring break) to avoid late-June makeups; or (4) keep the current practice of traditional makeup days.
Board members raised practical concerns: younger students who leave district devices at school, families without reliable home internet, students who require intensive special-education services that do not translate easily to remote instruction, and the administrative and teacher preparation required to conduct meaningful remote lessons. Several board members and parents said they want a firm latest possible last day of school for planning.
Administrators described mitigations used by other districts: targeted parent communication in advance (for example, instructing families to take devices home if a storm is forecast), model lesson plans and short synchronous check-ins during FID days, and targeted makeups or summer scheduling for students who miss specialized services.
The board asked staff to bring more detailed options and sample lesson templates back to the April 21 meeting, including analysis of where days could be trimmed (conference days, spring break adjustments) and the operational steps needed to implement FID if approved.
Ending: No vote was taken. The board asked staff to return with concrete options and implementation plans at the April 21 meeting so trustees can weigh a possible hybrid approach before the June PDE application deadline.
