Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Jason Wheeler, superintendent of Craig County Public Schools, provided updates on facilities, weather-related closures and extracurricular activities during his report at the Feb. 10 Craig County School Board meeting.
Wheeler reported that the Craig County Board of Supervisors approved financing Feb. 5 for the school division’s boiler replacement project through the Virginia Association of Counties (VACO). He said he signed a contract the following day with Schneider Electric and planned to meet with company representatives to finalize timelines and logistics.
Wheeler also updated board members on recent weather-related closures. He said the division still had flexibility remaining in its calendar, including available virtual learning days permitted by the Virginia Department of Education without requiring a waiver.
According to Wheeler, the division had used five virtual days and could use five more. He said the school calendar also included approximately nine additional closure days, giving the division about 14 potential days remaining if needed.
Wheeler said the division has handled decisions about after-school and extracurricular activities on weather closure days on a case-by-case basis but plans to move toward a more consistent approach.
“I just think that if it’s not safe for education, then it’s not safe for sports,” Wheeler said.
He said he planned to issue a regulation and communication to families outlining procedures for various weather scenarios. Under the proposed approach, activities would proceed as normal on two-hour delay days, but after-school activities would be canceled if schools close early or are closed for the entire day due to weather.
During discussion, a School Board member expressed concern about a blanket policy prohibiting practices on closure days, noting that road conditions sometimes improve later in the day and teams preparing for district or regional competition may need practice time. Wheeler acknowledged the concern but indicated the division generally uses delayed openings when improving conditions are anticipated.
Wheeler also informed the board he plans to attend the spring conference of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents April 26–28 at the Hotel Roanoke and may be intermittently available during that time.