Northern Michigan lawmaker seeks forgiveness for ice storm-related school closings
A Michigan state representative has presented a bill seeking forgiveness of missed school days in a region that was hit hard by the March 28-30 ice storm.
Some school districts in Northern Lower Michigan were out of session for two weeks in the aftermath because the resulting power outages were so widespread and extensive. Gaylord Community Schools, for example, posted on social media that it welcomed its students back on April 14.
Cleanup and recovery efforts are still in progress.
State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-District 106, presented his plan Thursday via House Bill 4345, which has been referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce. The bill would remove minimum school hours and day requirements during the current school year for any county included in a state of emergency declared by the governor.
Without such relief, Cavitt said, some schools might have to stay in session until July.
The list of counties, under a state declaration issued by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, is Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego and Presque Isle. Cavitt's district includes parts of Cheboygan, Alpena, Oscoda, Montmorency and Presque Isle counties.
Whitmer has requested, but not received a formal answer yet, on a federal declaration of emergency over the ice storm.
Some of the school districts in Northern Michigan were out of session for two weeks in early April – and that's not counting any weather emergencies from earlier in the year.
Michigan schools do have some leeway in setting their academic calendars, but the state requires at least 1,098 hours and 180 days of student instruction. There is some wiggle room built in for emergency days off.
Extensions that Michigan allowed to the emergency day allowance during previous severe winters were granted for those years only. One such example involved the additional days that were allowed in 2018-19.
"We had over 190 inches of snow this year. We've got days of school to make up already," Katy Xenakis-Makowski, Superintendent of the Johannesburg-Lewiston School District and President of the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators, said in her statement on the matter.
"Adding additional days after assessments, after Memorial Day, going past Father's Day and towards the Fourth of July will not help instruction. We need to be focused on the basic needs of our community and helping build our kids back up."
