The Tamaqua Area School District looks to incorporate flexible instruction days next school year.

The school board approved a motion on Tuesday allowing Superintendent Ray Kinder to apply for them.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, a flexible instructional day is a program available to public school entities to be used as an alternate approach to delivering instruction if a circumstance arises that prevents instruction in a customary manner.

Kinder said a good example would be if there is a snowstorm and school is closed Monday-Thursday on a given week. By Friday, it might be safe for some areas to commute and others not to. A flexible instruction day could be used as a review day and students can log on from home.

“If we apply for them, we are not required to use them,” Kinder said. “It simply gives us the flexibility to be able to use them if we want to.

“This all became a moot point this year, because the state allowed you to construct your 180 days however you saw fit. We didn’t apply for it, nor did we need to have this. We were able to have synchronous, asynchronous and we had some snow days.”

Kinder noted that no more than five flexible instruction days can be used per school year.

“It’s my intention, knock on wood, that we are back to a more quote-unquote normal school year next year, and these would only be used in cases of extenuating circumstances,” Kinder said.

Using a flexible instruction day instead of closing school when there is upcoming known inclement weather or an emergency should result in fewer school days added on at the end of the year.

“Certainly, after this year, we see the importance of having kids in school. We want them to be there as much as possible,” Kinder said.

“But you don’t want to add days at the end of the year.”