Clarendon County School District (CCSD) has announced that students and teachers will be required to make up three instructional days following January’s rare snowstorm, despite implementing e-learning during the inclement weather. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from teachers, parents, and local officials, raising concerns about transparency, teacher compensation, and the district’s handling of e-learning policies.
Despite widespread pushback, the Clarendon County School Board took no action on the matter during its February 3 meeting, providing no indication that the decision would be reconsidered.
A timeline of events
On January 21 and 22, a winter storm blanketed Clarendon County with up to four inches of snow, leading to hazardous road conditions. CCSD opted to implement three e-learning days, January 22, 23, and 24, to continue instruction, requiring students to complete assignments remotely and teachers to provide online instruction.
On January 27, the district issued a statement announcing that students and teachers would need to make up three instructional days because CCSD had exceeded its allotted five e-learning days for the school year. The designated make-up days are Monday, March 3, Tuesday, March 4, and Friday, April 18.
The decision was met with immediate backlash from educators and parents who questioned why e-learning had been used if make-up days were still necessary.
As criticism mounted, the district released a second statement defending its decision on January 29, citing South Carolina law (Section 59-1-425), which mandates that missed school days due to extreme weather be made up before the local school board can consider a waiver.
“We appreciate social media as a tool to share facts and celebrate the achievements of our students, faculty, and staff. Your engagement helps us stay aligned with our mission and vision. However, we will not tolerate negativity as we strive to teach our students the appropriate use of social media,” the statement read.
District response failed to answer key questions
Following the initial public backlash, The Manning Times submitted a series of questions to CCSD about the decision-making process, including:
In response, CCSD issued the second statement. However, the district failed to provide direct answers to key concerns, including why e-learning was implemented when make-up days were likely inevitable and whether teachers would receive additional compensation.
State Senator Jeff Zell (R-District 36) said the lack of clear communication from district leadership is troubling.
“If the response from teachers, parents, and the community is this strong, there is clearly an issue here,” Zell said. “Leadership isn’t always about making popular decisions, but it should always be about making informed ones.”
He urged CCSD to engage with the community and work toward a resolution.
“As long as they are pursuing a remedy for this and don’t just sweep it under the rug, I think the community would give them some grace and patience,” he said.
Community response and legislative concerns
State House Representative Fawn Pedalino (R-District 64) was one of the most vocal critics, stating that teachers worked full e-learning days without additional compensation and that students now had to redo the work they had already completed.
“I’ve heard from both teachers and parents about significant concerns regarding the recent CCSD e-learning days,” Pedalino said. “Teachers have shared that they are being required to make up these three days without additional compensation for the work they performed during the e-learning period. Meanwhile, parents have expressed frustration that their children were required to submit assignments during those days or risk being marked absent—yet now, those students must also make up the same three days.”
Pedalino also noted that she had contacted the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) to determine whether the make-up days could be waived but said the issue could be resolved at the district level if leadership was willing to act.
“This could be fixed within the district without SCDE getting involved—if leadership has the will to do so,” she said.
Many parents echoed Pedalino’s frustrations. One mother, speaking at the February 3 school board meeting, said her children worked several hours a day on their e-learning assignments, only to be told that the work didn’t count.
“What message are we sending to the students who did the work? What message are we sending to the parents? Can we trust that we’re not going to run into this situation again?” she asked. “Since I’ve been here for almost eight years, this was the first substantial snow we’ve seen. Two of my kids don’t even know what snow looks like. We shouldn’t have even had to worry about e-learning.”
School board meeting draws large crowd, no action taken
The February 3 school board meeting drew one of the largest turnouts in recent memory, with parents, teachers, former board members, and community leaders in attendance. Despite the emotional testimony from the public, board members remained silent during the comment period and took no action on the matter.
One teacher from Manning Elementary School emphasized that educators had fulfilled their contractual obligations during e-learning and questioned whether the district planned to compensate teachers for the additional make-up days.
“My question is, how does the district plan to compensate for three additional days beyond our 190-day contract when this is resolved?” she asked. “Can we get something in writing prior to our first make-up day scheduled for Monday, March 3?”
She also called for fairness in how students' attendance is handled.
“Would the district also issue a fair statement? Something that says any student who was absent on the scheduled make-up days will not be marked absent nor required to complete assignments for those days if their e-learning work was completed?”
While many expressed frustration with the board’s lack of response, some district officials defended the decision.
Kimberly Johnson, Assistant Director at F.E. DuBose Career Center, addressed the crowd, thanking educators for their hard work but also pushing back against critics.
"Folks are leaving because we have options and don't have to submit ourselves to this level of daily distractions, harassment, character assassinations from the same vocal critics in this community ... You can’t be an expert on public education if you lack formal education,” Johnson said. "We are qualified, certified, for the positions we hold in this district, and I believe this board will make the right decision when it comes to e-learning, but I know that this just isn't about e-learning, and it's just not about educating our students."
She also accused some critics of engaging in personal attacks rather than genuine advocacy for students.
“For some, it’s a childish tactic to replace everyone they don’t want with those they do want,” she said.
Final remarks from the school board
After an executive session, School Board Chairman John Bonaparte was the only board member to comment directly on the issue, offering a general defense of district policies rather than addressing specific concerns.
“I know for a fact that when you follow the statute, when you follow the policy, you can’t go wrong,” Bonaparte said. “Please, ma’am, please, sir, go to the section that is of concern or interest and read those policies, because when a concern or question comes to the board, I can assure you—that’s where we’re going to go.”
Despite widespread frustration among educators and parents, the board made no decision on the issue and provided no indication that it would be revisited.
As the meeting adjourned, Bonaparte delivered a final remark that summed up the district’s stance on the matter:
“You have to accept what the rules are.”
Editor's Note:
Following the Clarendon County School Board meeting, CCSD Board of Trustees member Ceth Land clarified that the board did not take any action regarding the recently announced make-up days. According to Land, the issue was not on the agenda and addressing it during the meeting would have been improper.
Additionally, Land stated that the motion made after the board’s executive session pertained to general employee matters and was unrelated to the make-up days.
As for Chairman John Bonaparte’s closing remarks, Land emphasized that those were his personal comments, and any clarification on his statements would need to come directly from him.
As this issue continues to develop, The Manning Times remains committed to providing accurate and transparent coverage.