Schools finalize makeup days for Hurricane Matthew closures

A change in Horry County Schools’ makeup days means that the half-day of school originally scheduled for Thursday is now a full day, and Friday – initially a holiday – is now a half-day.

Students will still be off Monday for Martin Luther King Day, which marks the bridge between the first and second semester of the school year.

The district missed seven days a result of Hurricane Matthew and the Green Sea Floyds attendance area missed eight, but it won’t have to make up at least three of those days.

Friday will be the last of the days required to be made up by state law. The school board has the ability to forgive the next three days and the remaining days will require approval from the state school board.

Horry County school board Chairman Joe DeFeo said the board will approve the district’s request to forgive three of the missed days during the next board meeting on Jan. 23.

Superintendent Rick Maxey said in an email that the district would apply for a waiver for the last two remaining missed days pending board approval.

“I cannot speak as to how the State Board of Education will respond to the district’s request,” said Maxey. “I expect a request will be submitted to the State Board of Education after the January 23 Horry County School Board meeting.”

April 17 is another possible makeup day the the district could use if needed, but Horry County Schools spokeswoman Teal Britton said the district doesn’t plan on adding any new days to the school schedule unless there’s more inclement weather.

“Everybody thinks the possibility of extending the school year by a day or two makes sense, except it just really messes up plans for graduation,” she said.

This story was originally published January 10, 2017 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Schools finalize makeup days for Hurricane Matthew closures."