Schools Ponder Making Up Snow Days

ATLANTA - Lingering problems from last week's snow storm have prompted two north Georgia counties to cancel school Monday.

Despite the Martin Luther King holiday, Fannin and Gilmer county school districts had both planned to hold classes. But late Sunday night the districts said area roads are still unsafe for buses, and school was cancelled.

Fannin County employees need to report to work for a professional leaing day. Gilmer County schools are completely shut down.

The additional snow day has leaders in the north Georgia districts scrambling to find ways to make up for all the lost time.

It's a similar scenario in the metro-area where the storm wiped out an entire week of classes.

In Gilmer they've eliminated every remaining day off with the exception of spring break. It too could be at risk, a move that wouldn't sit well with parents who've already made arrangements. Other possible solutions include extending the school day, which would interfere with extracurricular activities or lengthening the year, which would force people to change graduation plans.

Although not as dire as the situation in mountains, Gwinnett and other metro area districts are scrambling to come up with plans to replace the lost days.

The job in Gwinnett will be harder because unlike almost everyone else it had only three snow days rather than four. So the state's largest district is now short two days on its calendar.

In the past the district has extended the school year but doing that would mean ending school on the Tuesday after Memorial Day -- splitting up finals over a three day weekend.