Is a day that is shortened because of late student arrival or early student dismissal due to an emergency counted as a full day?
The law defines a student instructional day as a day that includes a minimum amount of instructional time. A day that does not include this minimum cannot count as a full day. However, for accreditation and financial penalty purposes, the Department has determined that an automatic waiver will be granted under the following circumstances: (a) School starts no more than two hours after the regular start of the school day, the delay was caused by weather-related conditions or a loss of utility service and the school schedule is adjusted so that students do not miss all of the planned instruction in any curriculum area. (b) School is dismissed no more than two hours before the regular end of the school day, and the dismissal was due to weather-related conditions or loss of utility service. These circumstances are the only reasons for automatic waivers. School two hour delays or early dismissals may NOT be used for non-emergency purposes such as parent conferences, professional development
