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Calcasieu Parish School Board approves revised instructional minutes after heated debate over March 10 virtual day
Summary
After a tense exchange on student access and instructional quality, the Calcasieu Parish School Board voted to convert March 10 into a virtual student day and raise remaining daily instructional minutes to meet state requirements; a substitute motion to require in-person school that day failed on a roll-call vote.
The Calcasieu Parish School Board voted Feb. 11 to approve staff recommendations that convert the March 10 teacher in‑service day into a virtual student day and increase daily instructional minutes for the remainder of the 2024–25 school year to meet the state-required total of 63,700 minutes.
The measures, presented by the superintendent as a way to recover minutes lost to recent storm closures, include converting the March 10 in‑service to a virtual student day (teachers remain on campus for professional duties while students complete virtual assignments) and raising the parish standard from 380 to 385 minutes where needed. The superintendent said the changes would allow the district to comply with the state requirement without altering school start or end times.
Board members sharply debated the proposal. One member argued strongly against the virtual day, calling it “not a real day” and urging that students be in school; that member moved a substitute motion to hold regular, in‑person classes March 10. Other members raised equity concerns, noting that some elementary schools do not issue devices for home use and that students without access could face difficulty completing virtual assignments. Questions were also raised about transportation and whether additional pay would be required for staff if buses ran on the change.
The substitute motion to require in‑person school on March 10 was seconded and put to a roll-call vote; it failed. The board then voted to accept the staff recommendation (virtual day for students plus the instructional‑minute adjustment), and the motion carried on a roll-call vote. The board directed staff to implement the virtual‑day plan where necessary and to work with schools on how to assign meaningful instructional work for students without regular device access.
The vote followed extended discussion about preserving instructional quality while ensuring the district meets state minute requirements. Board members who supported the staff recommendation emphasized the practical challenge of making up lost minutes and the district’s prior use of virtual days as a limited tool to address weather closures. Members opposing virtual instruction warned that reliance on virtual days could reduce instructional rigor and disadvantage students without reliable home internet or devices.
The board’s action finalizes the district’s approach for addressing storm-related missed days for the 2024–25 year; staff will follow up with schools on implementation logistics and any communications needed for families.
