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Mercer County board weighs changes to 'block out' policy and snow‑day makeups
Summary
Trustees reviewed a parent's request to expand senior 'block out' (early release) options, discussed verification (pay stubs, grades), the district's use of banked time for snow days and the state code limit of five banked days; staff will return with recommended policy revisions and administrator input.
Board members in Mercer County examined whether the district should change how it handles "block out" (senior partial‑day release) and how snow days are made up.
Staff explained the current practice: seniors with completed credits or enrolled in approved dual‑credit/CTE courses may block out a period, subject to verification by counselors and principals. "Currently, we allow students, seniors... if they have all the credits they need in their senior year, they can block out first period or sixth period," a staff member told trustees. The board discussed a parent's case where a student needed two particular classes and would benefit from leaving earlier to work, and trustees debated requiring ongoing proof of participation (pay stubs or college grade reports) and a two‑person verification checklist before approving block out.
On snow days, staff presented a chart of banked instructional minutes by school and said bank time varies widely across the district: "Spanishburg Elementary currently has 7 and a half days remaining of equivalent instructional time," while Pikeview Middle has "19.6 days" and Princeton High School has about "15.7 days," staff reported. The staff member noted state code allows only five days of accrued time to be used toward calendars, and the district has written to the State Department seeking clarification about any flexibility.
Board members directed staff to consult administrators and return with a proposed block‑out policy that includes safeguards (checklists, verification of credits/attendance) and to provide guidance on how banked time and state code constraints affect calendar choices. No policy changes were adopted at the session.
