ESCANABA — Students in local school districts have enjoyed a “winter break” of sort. Multiple days of school have been canceled due to a combination of sub-zero temperatures, snowstorms and icy conditions. If Old Man Winter doesn’t let up soon, school superintendents may need to get creative to find ways to reschedule the unplanned days off.

Michigan school districts are allowed six “snow days” during the entire school year. A waiver can be sent to the state requesting an additional three days after the six are used. After a total of nine days of school is canceled, any additional days need to be made up.

“If the school goes over our allotted number of six bad weather days, the district can apply to the state superintendent for a waiver of up to three additional days,” said Escanaba Area Public Schools Superintendent Coby Fletcher.

Escanaba has taken nine snow days as of Wednesday, Feb. 13. Mid Peninsula school has taken 10, Bark River-Harris used eight snow days, and North Central has 13.

“We have faced this before, as we live in the U.P. and winter is a factor,” North Central Area Schools Superintendent Bruce Tapio said. “This is nothing new to those who have lived here and worked in a school system. The current winter, however, has proved to be challenging and will not be over for awhile.”

Michigan is a local control state for school districts, which means the decision to close schools due to bad weather is a decision the local district superintendents must make. Much effort goes into deciding to delay or cancel a school day due to weather. Superintendents communicate with each other very early in the morning. The safety of students and staff is taken into consideration.

“I usually check the night before, and as an ISD (Intermediate School District) our superintendents get up at 4 a.m. Every district has its own way of checking,” said Eric VanDamme, superintendent of Mid Peninsula school.

VanDamme, Mid Peninsula’s maintenance and head cook employees are on the roads very early in the morning to decide whether school will be canceled.

“The number one concern is the safety of our students and buses,” said VanDamme. “Since we are a rural district, sometimes we have unique circumstances than the other schools in the area. Ultimately we try to make a decision as a group, but we all have the unique needs of our district in mind.”

Bark River-Harris Superintendent Jason Lockwood has one of the lowest number of days off.

“Anytime the wind chills approach -30, the school district will close,” said Lockwood. “I and local superintendents utilize information from each other, as well as from our transportation directors, and the county road commission.”

Once a superintendent decides to delay or cancel school the media is informed. Athletic activities are considered on an individual basis. Schools that serve breakfast in the morning may not serve it when a school is delayed.

In Manistique, Superintendent Howard Parmentier decides to close or delay school by 5:20 a.m., after contact with surrounding schools, law enforcement, the Schoolcraft County Road Commission and drivers of the more rural bus routes.

Holy Name Catholic School follows suit with Escanaba schools due to many students utilizing the bus system, said Principal Joseph Carlson.

According to Section 101 of the State School Aid Act, school districts are required to provide students at least 1,098 hours of instruction and a minimum of 180 days each school year. Michigan law allows school districts six ‘forgiven’ days, commonly known as ‘snow days’, they can use during the school year.

“State law also give districts up to three additional days of forgiven time, but only with the approval of Interim State Superintendent Sheila Alles,” said William DiSessa of the Office of Public and Governmental Affairs. “Requests for these three additional days are called snow day waivers. Any classroom time a district or school loses beyond the allowable forgiven time, must be rescheduled in order to receive its full amount of State School Aid funds.”

School districts in the area plan to submit a waiver to the Michigan Department of Education asking to be released from the mandated allotted time.

“If we have days in excess of what the state will allow, or forgive, the district will need to make up days this spring,” Lockwood said.

Parmentier is planning for Manistique schools to make up any days at the end of the year, or add hours to make scheduled days longer.

“We will make up days at the end of the year, or add time to the school day. For example, if there is a half day scheduled we will make it a full day,” said Parmentier.

Mid Peninsula will use President’s Day as a make up day this year, and possibly the Monday after Easter.

“If anything else goes on, we would need to extend our school year,” said VanDamme.

Both Tapio and Carlson will request a waiver for their schools, then reschedule additional days at the end of the school year.

“If we end up having to make up time, we will discuss whether or not to lengthen school days, shorten holiday breaks, add school days to the end of the year, or a combination of the above,” said Fletcher. “The route we take often depends on how close to the end of the year we are when we know for certain that we have days to make up.”

Martin Ackley Director in the Office of Public and Governmental Affairs of the Michigan Department of Education, advised that closing schools is a decision made at the discretion of the local school districts.

“The declared State of Emergency (by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer) did not require that schools be closed,” said Ackley.