No School On Day Before Thanksgiving

Hernando County families can start thinking about last-minute changes to holiday plans.

Students will not have to attend school after all on Wednesday, Nov. 26, the day before Thanksgiving.

The day had been scheduled as a makeup day for Aug. 19, when schools were closed because of Tropical Storm Fay. But the district received word from the Florida Department of Education on Monday that its request for a waiver of the makeup day had been granted.

The state had originally said it would not give any waivers except in extreme circumstances, such as districts that had missed many days because of the storm. Districts are required to operate schools for a minimum of 180 days.

But Hernando persisted, assuring the state that students would still get the required 900 hours of instruction over the course of 179 days.

Because of that, "the Commissioner has approved your request for a waiver," Deputy Education Commissioner Linda Champion wrote in a letter to Superintendent Wayne Alexander.

The day before Thanksgiving is marked on the school calendar as a potential make-up day, and parents were informed earlier this year that school would be in session that day to make up for Fay.

Alexander said Tuesday he still received many calls from concerned parents who'd already made travel commitments.

"It's what parents had expected and planned for," Alexander said Tuesday. "I thought it was important to continue to fight the good fight."

Teachers and staff must work on Wednesday, however, because they were paid for Aug. 19 and owe the district the hours, said Hernando Classroom Teachers Association President Joe Vitalo.

But as many as half of the district's teachers and staff won't be there, electing to use personal days or flex time to take the day off anyway, Vitalo said.