Arctic weather, snowfall prompt school closures this winter

METRO DETROIT — With the recent heavy snowfall and frigid temperatures, school has been canceled on occasion in many local districts this year as a safety precaution for staff and students.

At press time, classes were canceled one day in December and three days in January so far this school year.

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, the wind chill factor, sickness outbreaks and infrastructure problems.

Sometimes, the buses cannot run due to icy road conditions. Local superintendents consult with each other when deciding whether or not to call a snow day. The information is then shared with families by robocalls, emails, on social media and with local news outlets.

If a district goes over the six-day limit, the district can apply to the state superintendent for a waiver for three additional days if there are unusual and extenuating circumstances.

At the Jan. 28 Eastpointe Community Schools Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Christina Gibson provided an update regarding the district’s current snow day status. The meeting was originally scheduled for Jan. 26, but due to road conditions, it was postponed until Jan. 28. So far this year, the district has used four snow days.

“We will communicate weather cancellations as timely as possible to allow parents to make other arrangements so that they can still work,” Gibson said.

Families who did not receive calls about school closings were asked to make sure their information is updated in the PowerSchool portal and that the district’s phone numbers are not blocked.

Over in Fitzgerald Public Schools, officials also closed school four times this school year: Dec. 10, Jan. 15, Jan. 23 and Jan. 26.

“A lot of factors are taken into consideration before a decision is made,” Fitzgerald Public Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Jensen said by email. “We do not bus our high school students, so I consider those students walking to school.  I think about the buses, our parents transporting students and our staff getting to school and back home safely.  I think about our students that attend shared-time programs, and what other districts in Macomb County are doing for consistency purposes.”

While virtual learning isn’t offered in Fitzgerald when there is a snow day, all the secondary students can access lessons and assignments in their Google Classroom. Elementary student instruction is modified by each classroom teacher during in-person learning.

Van Dyke Public Schools staff and students “chilled out” with four snow days this year as well. According to Superintendent Piper Bognar, there was an additional day at Lincoln Middle School for a building problem, but the district is still within the allowed number of “forgiven days.”

Center Line Public Schools also had the same canceled days this school year as the other districts. Wolfe Middle School also was closed Jan. 6 for a water main repair.

Warren Woods Public Schools and Warren Consolidated Schools also had four snow days so far this school year.

If a district exceeds its forgiven days, including up to nine with a waiver, the missed time must be made up to receive full state funding. Districts can choose how they would make up that time from adding days in June or exchanging break days for instructional days.