McDowell County Schools Explain Feb. 27 Curriculum Day Cannot Become Instructional

McDowell County Schools notified parents on Feb. 25 that Friday, Feb. 27 would be held as a Curriculum Development non-instructional day and that the calendar entry could not simply be converted to a regular student instructional day. District officials issued the explanation in response to parent inquiries about changing the scheduled day into classroom instructional time.

The announcement from district officials made clear the status of Feb. 27 as a Curriculum Development day for the county’s schools. Parents had sought clarity on whether the planned development activities could be replaced with instruction, and district staff provided an outline explaining why the day remains non-instructional as scheduled for Feb. 27.

School leaders and parents in McDowell County received the district’s explanation in the week leading up to the Feb. 27 date. The communication addressed the specific request from families to alter the school calendar and reiterated that the district’s schedule for Friday is a Curriculum Development day rather than a student instructional day.

District officials confirmed the decision on Feb. 25 and advised families accordingly about the Feb. 27 status. The explanation maintained the curriculum-development designation for that day and advised that it would not function as a day for student instruction. Parents who raised conversion questions were provided the district’s reasoning along with the reaffirmation of the scheduled non-instructional day.

McDowell County Schools’ explanation on Feb. 25 leaves the Feb. 27 Curriculum Development designation intact; district officials have so far declined to convert that scheduled non-instructional day into regular student instructional time. Normal instructional operations are expected to continue following the scheduled Curriculum Development day.