EL Schools to Seek Snow Day Waiver from State But More Missed Days Could Lengthen School Year

Today marks the ninth snow day for the 2018-19 school year for East Lansing Public Schools, and the last day that can be forgiven by the State Department of Education before the District will have to add additional instruction time to the calendar.

Even before making the call early this morning, Superintendent Dori Leyko was planning to ask the State for a waiver for the past two days off.

State law requires districts to offer a minimum of 1,098 hours of instruction over 180 days per academic year but “forgives” districts up to six days of no school if it cancelled “due to reasons such as bad weather, sickness outbreak and infrastructure problems,” according to the Michigan Department of Education.

The districts can then request a waiver for an additional three days of closure, subject to the approval of the state superintendent. After those nine total days, schools have to start making up the lost instruction time by adding either days or hours onto the school year.

“We recommend adding days not hours because adding a few minutes each day doesn’t help learning,” said Bill DiSessa, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Education.

If the District does not make up the time, it will lose State aid payments for the lost instruction time, DiSessa said.

The decision to close schools is not taken lightly, Leyko said at the regular meeting of the East Lansing Board of Education last night.

Leyko routinely ventures out into the snow and ice between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. to travel the District and check road conditions. She studies the temperatures, as well as road condition and keeps in mind students who ride busses, those who walk, those who are driven and new drivers taking themselves to school. She then confers with other districts in the county, often coming to agreements but also taking actions specific for East Lansing.

“We want our students in school but student safety will always be prioritized,” Leyko said.

Board President Erin Graham thanked Leyko for all the thought that goes into making the “tough calls” whether to cancel school.

“I’d also thank our parents for their patience as we get through this winter together. So, you know most of Michigan is in the same boat that we are in and I know we are all hoping for better weather this week and keeping our fingers crossed that we have a five day week but time will tell,” Graham said.

“We know that’s a tough call, a tough decision to make each and every time, for putting the safely of our students first.”