Fife Council have asked for permission to close schools for an extra day after Christmas to give staff adequate time to prepare for reopening.
The Scottish Government informed the local authority it could apply for an “exceptional closure day” on Wednesday January 6.
Schools in Fife were due to welcome back children of key workers and vulnerable young people on this date.
However, if the additional date is approved, their return to school could be delayed until January 7 in order to allow teachers more time to prepare for their return.
A statement by Fife Council said: “Late last night the Scottish Government advised the we could apply for an exceptional closure day for schools on Wednesday 6.
“Fife Council has now applied for this and parents and carers will be contacted directly with any new information.”
The festive holidays have been extended for all other children until January 11. They will then be taught remotely until at least January 18, following an announcement from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Saturday.
The new guidance from the Scottish Government states local authorities can apply for the additional holiday only if “strictly necessary”.
It reads: “Local authorities may request an exceptional closure for the first day of return after the festive break, if this is strictly necessary to allow planning to take place for the safe return of vulnerable children and children of key workers.”
The additional measures will not be sought by council leaders in Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross.
Schools in these areas had already planned to reopen on January 7 for children of essential workers and vulnerable youngsters.
