We’ve gotten through another bout with snow, and K-12 students have missed another several days of school. In Georgia, as in many states, the minimum length of the school year is set by statute at 180 days. Although some wiggle room is built into the school calendars, when snow days start to add up, school districts have to scramble to make up the missed days. In Georgia, there is currently a proposal on the table to allow school districts to not make up some days. Other days may be made up in a variety of ways, from adding days onto the school year to adding hours to the remaining school days. Spring break may even be shortened (or eliminated).

One recent idea is to hold “virtual” school days, where students aren’t required to venture out to school, but instead attend classes online. However, this requires students to have computers and internet access, and so may not be feasible for many students.