The winter’s historic snowfall and an oversight of a state law mean that Prince William County elementary students will stay in school 10 minutes longer for the rest of the year starting Monday.
The county school board grudgingly approved the recommendation from Superintendent Steven Walts after a motion to add an extra day to the school year failed.
“In the words of my 10-year-old, this just sucks,” said board member Gilbert Trenum, who voted against the motion to tack on the end-of-the-day minutes.
In 2006, the Virginia Department of Education eliminated recess from what it considered instructional time.
Record-setting snowfall shuttered county schools for 11 days this year.
The snow days and the 15-minute recess discrepancy resulted in elementary schools coming up about 5.25 hours short of the minimum state requirement of 180 teaching days and 990 teaching hours.
School system officials apologized profusely for the oversight.
“We acknowledge that an error was made in our calculation of instructional time, and I personally apologize to each and every one of the school board members and to our community for any inconvenience this may cause,” Walts said.
Bonnie Klakowicz, president of the Prince William County Education Association, said the year has been difficult for school employees and the change in time simply compounded it.
“There is confusion, there is frustration and considerable consternation,” she said. “Unless you have taught in an elementary school, you do not understand the magnitude of indignation felt by the hardworking individuals who are realizing their downfall was the 15 minutes of state-required recess.”
