Thursday, March 9, 2023
Dear District Administrators and Independent Charter School Leaders,
CORRECTION 03/10/2023: Independent charter schools (and all charter schools) are exempt from the hours and minutes requirements in PI 8.01(2)(f).
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) knows that many districts and independent charter schools have had to close several days due to inclement weather. Of course, Wisconsin winter weather is not new, and yet it can still be difficult to contend with, as some of us can see just looking out our windows today. DPI also understands that districts typically only build a certain number of inclement weather days into their school calendars. To ensure school districts and independent charter schools meet the instructional hours and minutes set forth by Chapter PI 8.01(2)(f), we want to offer guidance on options to achieve those minutes and best serve the students and families in your district.
Options for Making Up Instructional Minutes
- If a school is going to be closed for inclement weather, a district may offer a virtual learning day to count that as a day of instruction. DPI does not establish fixed parameters to define a day of virtual learning; rather, it is the districts responsibility to establish instructional strategies to ensure that they are meeting the needs of their learners through virtual learning options, including students with IEPs. Please see our guidance on innovative instructional design for more information.
- A district may decide to add minutes of instruction to each school day to account for lost minutes. Adding minutes to a day throughout the calendar can serve to replace the instructional minutes lost due to closures for inclement weather. A district may add extra school days to the school calendar. This could either happen at the end of the school year or on days that were planned days without student attendance for other purposes.
When calculating your hours of instruction for the school year, please consult our FAQ page.
If you have further questions please contact Laura Roeker, Director of Teaching and Learning, laura.roeker@dpi.wi.gov.
Sincerely,
John W. Johnson, PhD
Deputy State Superintendent