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EASTPOINTE/ROSEVILLE — Most kids are happy when they get a snow day and don’t have to go to school, but do they have to make up the time?
Well, that depends. Michigan public schools are allowed six “forgiven days,” also known as snow days, without penalty. District officials can close school for a number of reasons, including snow, ice, frigid temperatures, sickness outbreaks and infrastructure problems.
If school is canceled for more than six days, districts are required to make up the time either by altering the calendar or adding days at the end of the year. If the district exceeds the six-day limit, school officials also can ask the Michigan state superintendent of public instruction, Michael Rice, for additional hours or days on an emergency basis. If additional days are not approved, they must be made up at the end of the school year to meet state-mandated instructional time requirements.
The Eastsider emailed Eastpointe Community Schools and Roseville Community Schools for an update on the status of their snow days this school year.
Eastpointe Community Schools
At press time, ECS had taken four snow days: Jan. 21-22, Feb. 6 and Feb. 13. Temperature and wind chill factor were responsible for the Jan. 21-22 closures, and icy road conditions were responsible for Feb. 6. The district’s website, eastpointeschools.org, referred to the Feb. 13 cancellation as a snow day. Eastpointe also had a half day Aug. 27 due to a heat advisory.
According to Superintendent Christina Gibson, closing schools also can pertain to busing.
“If road conditions are bad, especially on the side streets, it may not be safe to run the buses. Or, if bus drivers aren’t able to get into work due to road conditions, the buses cannot run,” Gibson said. “As far as any other reasons, we have seen schools elsewhere in the state closing due to widespread illness among students and staff, though that has not been an issue for us at this point.”
Often, local school officials discuss potential closures with educators from other districts.
“It is absolutely a difficult decision. We want our students to be in school. Children depend on us daily for education, support, and school meals, and parents depend on their children being in school so they can go to work,” Gibson said. “I agree that students should be in school. However, we have to make decisions about school closures based on the safety of our students and staff, and that is always our top priority.”
When students aren’t in school, the ECS teachers will adjust their lesson plans as needed to catch up on time missed.
Roseville Community Schools
The district has had four snow days: Jan. 21-22, Feb. 6 and Feb. 13. Superintendent Mark Blaszkowski said the district used two more to cover two half days in which the district did not reach the 75% attendance threshold required by the state.
“This is why it is important that parents send their child every day to school whether it is a half day or not,” he said. “If you exceed the six allowed days, you must add days to your calendar, and it usually is added to the end of the school year.”
In Roseville, many factors are considered when calling off school because of inclement weather.
“We look at a forecast of six inches of snow or more, temperatures -15 (degrees) or less including wind chill, icy roads/sidewalks and more. Snow levels may vary from north to south. Sometimes lake effect snow hits eastern districts harder. Sometimes the district must close due to loss of power or water access,” Blaszkowski said. “Some closures may only be from (a) specific building, not a district level closure. However, this still counts as a district lost day.”
Canceling school due to inclement weather isn’t an easy decision.
“Absolutely, it is difficult. We do not take closing lightly. Every day lost is like losing three days because it takes at least three more days to make up the loss of learning time. We also understand the ramifications to the families for childcare and meals for our students,” Blaszkowski said. “We also like to give our parents early notification. Sometimes that is difficult, especially with icy conditions. One degree off can be the difference between rain and ice. The earlier the notification the less accurate we are on the weather. However, it is much easier on the families to make arrangements for child care.”
Some people feel snow days are unnecessary and the students should be in school. But Blaszkowski said safety is “first” for students walking to school and staff driving to their buildings. Busing also is a concern.
“Sometimes if certain districts close and our staff have to stay home with their families it affects us too,” Blaszkowski said. “If we do not have staff to cover, we could be forced to close too.”
It takes a few days to get back on track.
“Students and staff have to work a little harder to make up the lost time,” Blaszkowski said.
