Administrators of Gilmer and Fannin County public schools in North Georgia have decided to use Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as a snow makeup day and the decision has drawn heat from NAACP leaders.
In a Jan. 7 letter to parents, Fannin County Superintendent Mark Henson said the unpredictable Georgia mountain weather and state-mandated classroom time give the system little wiggle room.
“It is very unfortunate that our calendar must be altered, but we hope that you understand how important it is for us to provide as much instructional time as possible for our students,” he wrote.
The school already made up one snow day by going to class on Jan. 4.
Georgia State NAACP Chapter President Edward DuBose told the Associated Press said it is “humiliating to hear that school districts want to take a snow day rather than to honor Dr. King’s legacy.”
According to 2009 Census estimates, both counties are about 97 percent white and 1 percent black. Georgia as a whole is 65 percent white and 30 percent black, according to the census data.
The 2009-2010 state Report Card lists the Gilmer County School System as 80 percent white and less than 1 percent black. Fannin County schools are listed on the report 93 percent white and less than 1 percent black.
Read more in tomorrow’s Times Free Press.