FRANKLIN
Following several days lost due to recent snowy weather, the Franklin City Public School system has had to come up with a plan to make up some lost instructional time.

So far, it will not impact a holiday, a weekend or require students to go into the summer. Instead, the following early release days will become full days: March 16, April 20, May 18 and May 22. The half-days in March and May had previously been scheduled as teacher work days and professional development days.

That said, Franklin does face another inclement weather day or delay on Thursday.

The system has missed more than four half-days. However, to reflect missed days at the beginning of the calendar year, schools plan for more instructional hours than are required by the state. Virginia law requires 990 teaching hours in a school year. As a penalty, the state reduces funding if divisions drop below this number of instructional hours.

The division prepared 1,080 instructional hours for the 2014-15 school year back in its February 2014 meeting. That’s an average of six instructional hours each day.

Report cards will now be distributed on April 16. Parent-teacher conferences may be scheduled by the principals and teachers at each school.