Harford County board asks staff to draft virtual-instruction plan for snow days amid state waiver guidance

The Harford County Board of Education on April 20 directed district staff to draft a virtual-instruction plan for inclement-weather days and to present calendar-change options that would let the district seek state waivers.

The request followed a staff presentation from Ms. Ridgeway, who said the State Board recently adopted guidance that districts seeking waivers must either designate three inclement-weather days and adopt a virtual-instruction plan that provides at least four hours of synchronous instruction, or schedule six makeup days. "Our current calendar has three days at the end of the year," Ms. Ridgeway said, "so we would need to change the calendar if we want to be considered for waivers." She added the district must also include attendance-taking procedures and accommodations for students who cannot access synchronous lessons.

Board members broadly supported bringing a plan forward but repeatedly flagged equity and feasibility concerns. One board member said she was "not in favor" of virtual days based on negative experiences during prolonged pandemic-era virtual learning and the difficulty of reliably providing internet and power during severe weather. Another asked whether hotspots would be a year-round solution or only for weather days; Ms. Ridgeway said the district’s forthcoming plan would not rely on hotspots and would emphasize lower-cost alternatives and contingency sites.

Members pressed staff on teacher readiness and student engagement; one director noted that surveys show roughly a quarter of teachers lack experience with synchronous remote instruction and urged training before any rollout. Ms. Ridgeway said training could be provided during existing professional-development time and that the administration would include training plans, participation expectations (for example, camera/participation standards used at some schools) and contingency measures in the proposal.

The board also discussed calendar options to meet waiver expectations, including moving the last day of school later and redistributing three designated days across the spring, using selected spring-break days as potential makeup days, or a hybrid approach that leaves one makeup day at the end of the year. Ms. Ridgeway recommended the board receive calendar options as soon as possible so families could plan; she said staff aim to return with a draft virtual-instruction plan by May and calendar recommendations for an early vote.

The administration said they would describe contingencies for students without reliable home internet, such as learning centers or designated school shelters with power and connectivity during widespread outages. The board did not vote; the session was a round-robin work discussion to provide direction to staff. The board plans to review the full plan and calendar options at a future meeting.