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Pleasant Valley board keeps flexible‑instruction authority for now, seeks calendar alignment and clearer FID expectations
Summary
Superintendent urged the board to stay 'status quo' on flexible‑instruction (remote) days this year but to pursue calendar alignment with neighboring districts, enhanced principal oversight and clearer office‑hour guidance; board asked staff for attendance and engagement data and for improved public messaging.
Pleasant Valley School District trustees heard a lengthy discussion about flexible‑instruction days (FIDs) — remote instructional days the district can use in place of traditional snow days.
Superintendent presented attendance and staff‑absence data from last year to address concerns that teachers were more likely to be absent on FID days; he said most buildings averaged only a handful of teacher absences on FID days and that a single safety‑related anomaly accounted for a large spike (an incident that prompted staff caution). He told trustees principals were monitoring FID classes and that administrative oversight will remain in place.
Board members questioned the instructional rigor and student participation on FID days and the impact on students who attend Monroe Career & Technical Institute (MCTI), which serves students from multiple sending districts and can be disrupted by differing calendars. The superintendent said MCTI operations depend on cross‑district calendar alignment and noted he has already contacted neighboring superintendents to pursue better synchronization.
Given the mid‑winter timing, the superintendent recommended retaining FID authority through this year but asked the board for support to (1) revise afternoon office‑hour expectations to increase instructional engagement, (2) pursue cross‑district calendar alignment for next year, and (3) return with additional data on student attendance and engagement, plus public messaging that explains how FIDs will be run.
Board members asked staff to provide concrete attendance figures for students and teachers on past FID days, examples of what higher‑rigor FID instruction would look like, and a public one‑page explanation to put on the calendar and district communications so families understand expectations.
Next steps: staff will collect and share detailed attendance and engagement metrics for prior FID days, explore calendar alignment with other Monroe County districts and return with proposed changes to office‑hour timing and public communications ahead of the next calendar vote.
