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Valley districts exceed calamity-day limit
By Denise Dick
youngstown
This week’s snow and ice storm put Mahoning Valley school districts over the number of allotted calamity days for the academic year.
This year, the number of calamity days dropped from five to three, meaning districts would have to make up school days if school was called off for more than three days.
A bill introduced in Columbus in January would increase from three to five the number of calamity days allowed for schools. It also would enable districts to make up days by adding time to the school day in half-hour increments.
In the meantime, though, most districts added the make-up days to the end of the school year.
“When we adopt our calendar, by law, we have to include five make-up days in calendar,” said Debra Mettee, Springfield Schools superintendent.
That district has seen four snow days, so far, meaning one make-up day.
Youngstown, which has seen five snow days this school year, will make up two — so far — at year’s end, a spokeswoman said.
Some districts choose holidays or conference days to make up the extra time, although many decide to extend the school year.
The Warren school district, which has had five snow days so far, uses a combination.
“We have two days built into the schedule in May,” said Aaron Schwab, a spokesman for the Warren schools. “They’re conference compensation days. The first make-up day is May 6 and the second, May 13. If we miss any more, then we go to the third day, June 10, the end of the school year.”
Because of the change that reduced the number of allotted calamity days this school year, some districts used two-hour delays some days when the weather was questionable. But that’s not ideal either.
During those days, Springfield schools use a two-hour delay schedule. The middle and high schools share a cafeteria, feeding 900 children.
“You have students walking in off the bus, and within 20 minutes, they’re having lunch,” Mettee said. “It’s not an effective day.”
She feels similarly about the proposal to make up missed days by lengthening the school day in half-hour increments.
Stan Watson, Liberty superintendent, agrees that a school day delayed by two hours isn’t ideal.
“At least you get kids in school, and you do get some value out of the day,” he said.
That district has used five calamity days so far and will make up the two additional days at the end of the school year unless the law changes.
Poland, which has had four calamity days so far, will make up the one, and any others to come, at the end of the school year.
The school board makes that decision based on input from school parent-teacher organizations and employees, said Superintendent Robert Zorn.
The school calendar is sent to parents.
Before the law requiring make-up days to be included in school calendars, schools would scramble to schedule make-up days, Zorn said. That brought complaints from parents who had scheduled vacations.