Niles schools shorten break

March 8, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

NILES

Public-school students who were looking forward to their weeklong spring break in April will have only three days off instead of five thanks to the winter of 2014.

Superintendent Frank Danso said the district will make up two of the days when schools were shut down by the deep freeze and snow by having classes April 14 and 15, which would have been the first two days of spring break.

“We had to close 10 days, and the maximum number allowed under state calamity day regulations is five,” Danso said.

The district, however, does not have to have classes the other three days that were lost because of a separate state law giving schools the option of having “Blizzard Bag Days.” Schools can either assign homework online for those days or have students turn in their assignments on paper.

Danso chose the latter.

“I was concerned that there may be some families who are not hooked up to the Internet, and I wanted this to be fair to everyone, so we decided on hard copies,” the superintendent said. “The students will have two weeks to turn in their homework for those days.”

Danso said the school calendar has scheduled additional calamity makeup days if needed for April 16, 17 and June 6.

Despite the revised schedule, there is the possibility that students may not have to return to classes the first two days depending on what happens in Columbus.

“It’s my understanding that the state Legislature will be discussing new calamity-day legislation,” Danso said. “If they give us the additional calamity days, we won’t have to bring them back April 14 and 15.