Guilford County, Piedmont Triad Schools Ask Legislature to Expand Remote Learning Days

Guilford County Schools led a coalition of Piedmont Triad districts in a formal Feb. 1 request to the North Carolina General Assembly seeking expanded authority to count additional remote learning days toward the state's instructional-hour requirement and emergency funding for road salt and ice melt. Superintendents told lawmakers back-to-back winter storms and prolonged ice conditions have forced repeated closures and exhausted the limited days districts may already count as remote instruction.

The letter, penned by Superintendent Dr. Whitney Oakley and addressed to House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, warns that “multiple Piedmont districts have exhausted allocated remote learning days due to early December weather and this week’s prolonged ice conditions.” District leaders also asked legislators to consider emergency funding to replenish critical materials used to treat roads and campuses.

Districts explicitly named as joining Guilford in the request include Alamance-Burlington, Asheboro, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Mount Airy, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Thomasville City, Winston-Salem/Forsyth and Yadkin. Surry County Schools and Dr. Travis L. Reeves are among specific signatories identified. The list of participating districts varies across coverage; the districts above are those explicitly named by district leaders in public statements and the letter itself.

State law now allows districts to count up to five remote learning days toward the required 1,025 hours of annual instruction. Schools may apply for a “good cause waiver” to count up to 15 remote days, but most districts will not qualify because the waiver requires a district to have been closed at least eight days per year in four of the last 10 years. The State Board of Education has authority to grant emergency flexibility, but Oakley and other leaders argued that a legislative solution would provide districts with more certainty for long-term planning.

The storms have had concrete operational costs. Guilford County Schools reported using more than 120,000 pounds of ice melt this winter and received emergency supplies from the N.C. Department of Transportation, while commercial supplies remain severely limited. Facilities crews across the region have worked around the clock with district staff and contractors, and some districts face calendar moves or extended days to meet instructional-hour mandates.

Davidson County Schools provides a local example of interim measures: its Board voted to add 30 minutes to school days beginning Feb. 16 to satisfy the 1,025-hour requirement. “This approach avoids eliminating spring break or adding Saturday school at this time, both of which present significant challenges for families and staff,” the district wrote in a Facebook post. “Should the state grant relief, the Board can promptly revisit and discontinue the extended day.”

For Guilford County parents and staff, the coalition’s ask aims to preserve safety while avoiding more disruptive schedule changes. The group signaled willingness to provide documentation and meet with legislators as winter weather persists. The next step is legislative action or emergency relief from state authorities; until then, districts may continue to adjust calendars and school-day lengths to balance instructional requirements with hazardous travel and stretched supplies. Parents should monitor official district communications for calendar updates and any decisions from the General Assembly that would alter how remote days are counted.