District will "bank" extra minutes to recover makeup days after flooding, staff says

A staff member told the Centerville-Abington Community Schools board that the district's waiver requests for makeup days following recent flooding were denied, and that an alternative plan agreed with the Indiana Department of Education will allow the district to recover required instructional time.

"They do allow on situations such as this for us to bank the days as long as we use those minutes to accelerate learning," the staff member said, describing a plan in which schools will use existing additional instructional minutes to meet state requirements. The staff member said principals wrote brief plans that are included in the board packet; the district expects to regain the three required makeup days in the first semester before winter break. If further days are missed beyond those banked minutes, the district will use synchronous learning days.

The speaker said the state reviewed each school individually and that a form must be signed to certify the remedial instruction is provided. Rose Hamilton Elementary was highlighted as making up only 15 minutes per day and thus likely to take the entire first semester to reach the required total. Board members asked clarifying questions, and the staff member said the plan was developed with administration and teacher representatives, including Mrs. Blair. The staff member described the option as a one-time response to the flooding rather than a new ongoing policy.