Giles County Public Schools
2024-25 Inclement Weather/Virtual Plan
During the 2024-25 SY, Giles County Public School (GCPS) students will receive virtual instruction from their classroom teachers during the majority of what used to be the typical inclement weather (snow) days. The purpose of this it to encourage the continuation of academic instruction on days when school would have otherwise been cancelled. These days are intended to function in a similar fashion to our virtual/remote learning days and will be outlined below. Each school will create plans, using this plan, to deliver instruction to every student in the district and provide for student and teacher interaction on these days, with the ultimate goal of continuing instruction. These days will count as instructional days for GCPS and therefore will not need to have the typical “student make-up” days this year that we have had in previous years.
Attendance/Duties
As shared, Inclement Weather days are going to be considered instructional days, so all PreK – 12 grade students are expected to participate. We will follow the GCPS guidance for virtual attendance on these days. Schools will track and record attendance in PowerSchool for participating in these Inclement Weather days. Students who aren’t able to complete the assigned task for a particular Inclement Weather day should be granted flexibility. However, it will be expected that all assigned work will be completed within the first 5 actual school days that are held after the Inclement Weather day. Students who do not complete the work within the 5 actual school days after the Inclement Weather day would be counted as absent/receive zeros.
Elementary Grades – PreK - 5
Students in the Elementary grades should expect to complete a daily minimum of 2 hours of total school work during the Inclement Weather day. This may include, but not be limited, to the following: viewing at least 2 pre-recorded lessons, at least one teacher/student “live interaction” session, at least one graded activity/assessment, snow packets, etc. The prerecorded lessons and
“live interaction” opportunities should be at least 20 minutes in length each.
Middle School Grades
Students in grades 6 & 7 should expect to complete a daily minimum of 2.5 hours of total school work during the Inclement Weather day. This may include, but not be limited, to the following: viewing at least 1 pre-recorded lesson per class, at least one teacher/student “live interaction” session, at least one graded activity/assessment per class, etc. The prerecorded lessons and “live interaction” opportunities should be at least 25 minutes in length each.
High School
Students in the high schools should expect to complete a daily minimum of 3 hours of total school work during the Inclement Weather day. This may include, but not be limited, to the following: viewing at least one pre-recorded lesson per class, at least two teacher/student “live interaction” session, complete and submit at least 1 graded activities/assessment per class, etc. The prerecorded lessons and “live interaction” opportunities should be at least 30 minutes in length each.
Teacher Expectations
Teachers will be expected to work virtually on Inclement Weather days since they are going to be considered instructional days and count towards fulfilling the number of instructional days required by contract. Teachers will not be required to report to the school building, but in the event they do not have internet access, they will need to notify the building principal and make arrangements. Teachers should be available to students virtually or by other communication methods between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and since this counts as a contracted day, teachers/staff should maintain a detailed log of their activities for the Inclement Weather day. If a teacher is unable to work on an Inclement Weather day, leave time must be used according to GCPS policy. It is acceptable for teachers to have pre-planned activities and pre-recorded lessons for these inclement weather days that don’t fall within the standard pacing schedule. The activities/lessons should still be academically oriented, but they may not be the traditional assignments that would have been completed during the regularly scheduled day. Snow packets could also be utilized because they will have been designed as a continuation of learning as well to reinforce, remediate, and enrich a child’s educational experience. This would be a good opportunity to incorporate an activity/project that can be done at home with family members that are fun, engaging, and appropriate for a “snow” day.
Lessons and assignments should be posted as early as possible within the day. However, it is understood that teachers/staff may not have received notification of an Inclement Weather day until early morning, so it is expected that all assignments, lessons, and other activities would be posted in advance.
Other building staff members (i.e. – Counselors, Librarians, TAs, etc.) may be assigned responsibilities as deemed appropriate by their building principal (i.e. – make “check-in” calls, help monitor virtual classes, other tasks related to typical duties, etc.). If someone doesn’t work on the Inclement Weather day, the building principal will develop a plan for the individual to meet their contracted work days.
Meals
In order to provide meals, the weather forecast will be reviewed the Sunday of each week when inclement weather is anticipated. If it is determined that there is a high
likelihood of inclement weather sometime during that week, additional meals will be offered on the days where normal meal deliveries occur.
Extracurricular Activities
It is recommended that extracurricular activities are not held on Inclement Weather days. These days are intended to be counted as instructional days, but if we are closed for in-person attendance at school due to travel hazards, it is not recommended that students gather for extracurricular activities.