After canceled school for snow, high wind, does CMS have any inclement weather days left?

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has canceled school four days and moved classes online two days this school year due to inclement weather concerns. The district still has enough hours to cancel more days, if needed, and comply with state guidelines.

So far, CMS has missed four instructional days this school year due to weather: Sept. 27 and 30, January 22 and March 5. The two remote instructional days were Jan. 10 and Feb. 19.

It’s ultimately up to Superintendent Crystal Hill to make the call about weather days, but district officials say they consult multiple sources of information to monitor forecasts across the 523-square-mile district.

School districts are required to have a minimum of 185 days or 1,025 hours of instruction, according to state law. This year’s CMS calendar had 177 instructional days scheduled but 1,062 instructional hours – more than the 1,025 required by state law.

District leaders say there’s wiggle room if more inclement weather strikes the area.

District-wide, there are enough instructional hours in the 2024-25 school calendar for two additional instructional days to be waived by the superintendent and three remaining remote days able to be used during the 2024-25 school year, a district spokesperson said.

CMS board policy allows the superintendent to “waive up to four instructional days each year in the event schools are closed to students because of severe weather or other emergency conditions.” While the calendar has enough instructional hours to do more, the board policy sets the limit at four due to severe weather and emergency conditions.

This year, though, two days in September were able to be missed due to Hurricane Helene without the loss of instructional hours.

How does CMS make the call?

CMS primarily considers a few factors when it comes to inclement weather days: the type of event, the timing and path, advisories, road conditions and traffic patterns, temperature, wind gusts and the expected impact on surrounding school districts.

“Weather conditions can be unpredictable. Therefore, the timing of the weather event is considered, with some areas projected to receive severe weather conditions while areas may remain largely unaffected,” a CMS spokesperson said.

CMS monitors messaging from the National Weather Service, local meteorologists and forecasts, notifications from Mecklenburg Emergency Management, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, DriveNC.gov and Ready NC.

Whether educators have enough notice to prepare for a remote instruction day is an important component in deciding between going remote or calling school off entirely, a CMS spokesperson said.

For example, the forecast for March 5 initially showed thunderstorms and possible wind, but district leaders didn’t expect it would impact the school schedule. By Tuesday evening, there was an advisory about 50 mile-per-hour winds in some areas. The worst of the conditions were expected to line up with morning transportation hours.

There is no specific law in North or South Carolina that dictates when school buses can operate in bad weather. However, according to the South Carolina Department of Education, wind gusts of 30 miles per hour or greater can impact the steering control of a school bus.

“As wind gusts projections intensified and the worst conditions aligned with morning transportation hours, CMS determined closure was the safest option,” the district said. “While no decision will be perfect for everyone, our commitment remains the safe keeping of students and staff.”

This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 11:54 AM.

Rebecca Noel

The Charlotte Observer

Rebecca Noel reports on education for The Charlotte Observer. She’s a native of Houston, Texas, and graduated from Rice University. She later received a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. When she’s not reporting, she enjoys reading, running and frequenting coffee shops around Charlotte.