District cuts all calamity days

NEW WASHINGTON, Ohio (AP) — One Ohio school district’s decision to eliminate all calamity days from the schedule, such as days lost to bad snowstorms, hasn’t pleased some students and teachers.

The move could be a sign of things to come in Ohio, which is paring down the number of calamity days as the state gradually lengthens the mandatory school year.

Buckeye Central in the village of New Washington eliminated the five days allowed under state law this fall to avoid losing teaching time.

“The board did not want students to lose instructional time, because when we take a calamity day, we lost out on instructional time,” said Superintendent Ron Cirata.

The change means the district about an hour south of Lake Erie would have to make up any days lost to bad weather at the end of the school year.

Students who mounted a protest just before Christmas break say an extended year would interrupt summer jobs, college orientation and sports camps.

“If the state’s not doing it immediately, why do we have to?” said Buckeye Central senior David Walsh.

Ohio is reducing calamity days from five to three beginning next school year.

To protest the change at Buckeye Central, Walsh and two other students raised $1,200 and bought 150 black-and-white T-shirts reading, “Got snow days? We don’t!”

An Ohio school board has the authority to not use any calamity days, said Ohio Department of Education spokesman Scott Blake.

Earlier this year, Gov. Ted Strickland proposed adding 20 more school days over the next 10 years, but Ohio lawmakers rejected adopting the idea immediately.

Instead, they opted for more time to review the concept and the creation of a statewide advisory council to examine the issue.

They also allowed the reduction of calamity days from five to three.

Sherri Bean, president of the Buckeye Central teachers union, says the union doesn’t believe adding instruction at the end of the school year will raise achievement scores, since testing is finished in May.