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Colonial SD renews flexible instruction day program application; district says snow days still preferred
Summary
District staff reviewed the district’s Flexible Instruction Day (FID) program application (citing the Public School Code) and said the application will be filed with PDE; the board will consider approval on the upcoming agenda and families will be notified if the program is approved.
District staff told the Curriculum Committee on May 12 that Colonial School District maintains a Flexible Instruction Day (FID) program under the Public School Code and plans to submit its updated application to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Staff explained that the statute cited in the presentation permits school districts to develop FID programs so they can meet instructional requirements while avoiding extending the school year in some weather or outage scenarios. "Public schools are allowed to participate in these FID days. Once our program is approved by the board and submitted to PDE, we will then know by August 1 if it is approved," a district leader said. Staff added that approved districts may use up to five FID days in a given year.
The presenter said the district prefers traditional snow days when conditions clearly prevent safe transport and instruction, and that the district uses FID sparingly as a backup if conditions change quickly or outages prevent in-person instruction. Staff said schedules and the mix of synchronous/asynchronous activities are planned at the building level and established with principals and teacher leaders to be developmentally appropriate.
Board members asked about staff and family feedback on past FID use. Staff said the district solicits input from staff and families and balances synchronous and asynchronous learning designs, noting they try to avoid burdening families who must supervise younger children at home. Committee members also discussed scenarios in which older students might participate remotely while younger grades remain off-site; district leaders said that approach could be possible depending on road conditions and state-required minimum minutes of instruction.
The presentation noted that the FID application and frequently asked questions are posted on the district website and that the approval would appear on the full board agenda for Thursday. No formal decision was made at the Curriculum Committee meeting.
