With winter drawing to a close, I've heard a lot of questions about snow days and how they affect next year's academic calendar. On Twitter I was asked "So what about snow days? How many can we have? How long do we have to be at school for it to count as a day?" I will do my best to clear up some confusion, but nobody really knows what goes on in the mystical land of BCS. Also, reading the story on snow days in the February issue of the Golden Fleece Newspaper might give readers additional information on the same subject. The first misconception students and parents have about the required length of a school year is that it is based on days. However, this is not the case. The Buncombe County School schedule is based on hours. The academic calendar must have a minimum 1,025 hours of school in session. Therefore, we do actually have to make up delays. I know, tragic. Another tragic element that just occurred this year is that our school system has lost its "weather related waiver." The Buncombe County website says this, the "Board of Education (SBE) may waive the open and closing date requirement when all schools have been closed for a full day, 8 or more days per year during any 4 of the last 10 years." In other words, because BCS did not cancel school eight or more days this year, we have lost this waiver saying that we did not have to make up the hours missed. In other, other words, we will have to make up the hours missed for snow days and delays by taking away teacher work days and half days. If you haven't noticed, we have already begun this process. 38 people meet as an annual board to decide the academic calendar for the next school year. According to BCS, this board consists of district personnel, principals, teachers and students. The good news is, we don't go back to school until August 29th. The bad news is, we have less random days off during the year for work days etcetera, and, don't forget, we now have to make up every hour missed due to weather. Bummer. Thanks for the questions. Until next time, where maybe we can try to understand more mysteries of the illusive BCS.