CUMBERLAND – Earlier this week, Cumberland County Public Schools announced its finalized snow day make-up plan.

The schedule came from input received from faculty and staff. They were given the opportunity to take a survey listing three possible make-up options after the division missed five days due to inclement weather that has been experienced since December.

Faculty and staff were given the option to take the survey expressing their opinion as to which would be the best option-the last option being to extend the 2010-2011 school year by a few days.

Due to “banked hours,” according to Dr. Griffin on one of her weekly blog posts explaining the reason for the change in the make-up schedule, only the first five missed days would need to be made up, with the hope that Cumberland snow days do not amount to over 10 before the end of winter.

This is a new option, she also pointed out, due to Cumberland High School not being on a four-by-four block schedule this year.

“If we miss more than 10 snow days, we will be making up the 11th and any subsequent snow days,” she stated.

The snow make-up schedule is as follows: Monday, February 21 will now be a school day as well as Friday, May 20; Monday, May 23; Tuesday, May 24; and Wednesday, May 25.

Graduation will still be Friday, May 20 and seniors will not have to return to school after graduation.

It is important to note that none of the three options posed by the school system in the survey had the date of graduation being changed.

Related to end-of-the-year Standards of Learning testing, “If we extend the school year to May 23, 24, and 25, SOL testing would be moved back in order to give more time for preparation for the assessments,” she described in her blog where she gave the link to the survey to those interested in providing input.

It was also noted that teachers would be allowed to leave for summer vacation as soon as year-end assignments were completed and with principal approval after school was over on May 25.

The school division first detailed a make-up plan shortly after returning from winter break after missing only three days but had to re-evaluate once additional days were recently missed, according to the school's Central Office.