Although
the Kentucky Department of Education does not have a direct role in determining
when your school starts later than usual, dismisses early, or closes for an NTI
(Non Traditional Instruction) day, a "snow day," or for other reasons,
but we are responsible for ensuring that schools and districts adhere to
minimum legal requirements for school calendars. The superintendent and local
district experts in your district make the daily decisions regarding pupil
transportation and the safety of your child based on direct observation of the
roads in the county and the weather forecast, and other information available
at that time.
It may
seem odd to you that schools are sometimes closed when an expected winter storm
doesn't develop as predicted or that schools are sometimes open when it looks
like the worst of conditions exist. It's helpful to remember that the
overriding concern of the superintendent is the safety of the students and
staff. That is why superintendents sometimes choose to err on the side of
safety and close school. The superintendent has to consider students who ride
the bus, students who drive to school or other locations in the district for
courses, and the safety of staff. Often, there are a few roads in the county
that school buses cannot safely drive on and the superintendent may determine
that the risk is too great to have school until those roads are clear.
Kentucky
law in
KRS
158.070 requires that students be in school a minimum of 1,062
instructional hours each school year, with a minimum of 170 student days.
School districts are required to include have "make- up" in their
school calendars in case they are needed. School districts must miss and make
up 20 student attendance days before they can receive approval for
district-wide “disaster” days from the Commissioner of Education.
Finally,
you may check with your school district about any social media, e-mail or
telephone notifications that go out when schools are closed. Some districts
allow you to sign up for this service on their Web sites.