(2/7/2019) - State Sen. Jim Ananich said the state should forgive days that will extend the school year because Michigan was in a state of emergency.
The state allows school districts to cancel classes on six days per year due to weather or conditions beyond their control. Nearly all school districts in Mid-Michigan have exceeded that limit already with more than a month of winter to go.
Most Mid-Michigan schools canceled all five days last week due to heavy snow and extreme cold. Hundreds of schools closed Wednesday and Thursday this week due to a pair of moderate ice storms.
Those are in addition to snow days in November and January after heavy snowfalls.
Once school districts use all six of their allotted snow days they can ask for three additional days from the state superintendent.
Ananich, a Democrat from Flint, said he is looking into many options to help schools, including erasing last week's snow days, according to our sister station WILX in Lansing. That would reduce the required days of classes from 180 this school year to 175.
Several lawmakers have mentioned that possibility, especially because Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a statewide State of Emergency for much of last week.