Columbia Public Schools has gone back on a Tuesday statement that the district would hold school next week after the state changed its position on a requirement for days in session.

Friday, May 23, will now be the last day of school for CPS students, the district wrote in an email to families Thursday afternoon. The day will be an early release day.

The district said Tuesday that it would hold an early release day on Tuesday, May 27, to ensure the district met minimum requirements for the number of days in session, in order to receive additional state funding.

However, CPS said Thursday that the district received notification from the state education department that the extra day of school next week would be unnecessary for meeting those requirements.

CPS has been watching state legislation that would reverse a new state law setting a minimum requirement for the number of days a district must have in a school year.

That law required districts to be in session for 169 days. Without the extra day of school on Tuesday, which the school board added earlier this year , CPS would be one day short of the requirement.

However, the Missouri General Assembly recently passed a new bill, Senate Bill 68, that could remove that requirement.

SB 68 would allow a school district to receive the additional state aid even if it did not reach the 169-school day minimum due to "exceptional or emergency circumstances or a reduction of the required number of school days authorized by the Commissioner of Education under current law," according to the bill language.

The school district wrote on Tuesday that the Missouri Department of Education's interpretation of this bill would not allow the district to drop the extra day next week. Further, the district said it requested a waiver for an inclement weather day that the state denied.

CPS said Thursday afternoon that just before 2 p.m., the district received notification from DESE that the interpretation of Senate Bill 68 was revisited and the district’s request to have Friday, May 23, as its last day of school would be honored.

"We appreciate your support and understanding as we change course once again on the school year calendar," the district wrote in an email to families. "We believe this is the best decision for the district, students, and families."

Interim Superintendent Chris Belcher, Chief Academic Officer and incoming Superintendent Jeff Klein and Columbia School Board President John Lyman signed the email.

"We are also grateful and appreciative of DESE’s time and consideration to reevaluate our situation and honor the intent outlined in Senate Bill 68," the district wrote in the email.