Different area school districts are nearing the state's cap on snow days after a brutal winter. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

ESCANABA – Due to the harsh polar vortex and a significantly colder winter this year, many area schools have called for snow days. Though districts are nearing the state cap on snow days, some note the likelihood of exceeding this cap is poor.

Michigan Law states that districts are permitted to close six days per school year due to conditions out of each district’s control, like snow days. It also states that students must have a minimum of 1,098 hours of instruction each year.

While students at the Escanaba Area Public Schools (EAPS) have already stayed home for four of the six days allowed this year, EAPS Superintendent Coby Fletcher notes this is not particularly unusual.

“We’ve been spoiled the last few years with warm winters without much snow, and this is a return to a more typical U.P. winter,” said Fletcher. “As for this year’s winter, it’s not anything too out of the ordinary.”

Regarding the criteria for school closure, Fletcher explained while there isn’t really a strict rule, EAPS schools generally close when wind chills are -25 or below.

“That being said, we also look at the totality of circumstances. Our District covers roughly 180 square miles, so conditions can differ from one end of the District to the other, and that or other weather factors may impact the final decision.”

Of course, there is a possibility of the district going beyond the six snow days cap, in which case they can apply for a waiver from the State Superintendent for an additional three days. Waivers are not guaranteed to be granted.

“If the waiver isn’t granted, or if the waiver is granted and we exceed nine snow days, we will have to make up for the days we’ve gone over,” said Fletcher. “This is often done by extending the school day by a few minutes for the remainder of the year or by adding days to the end of the year.”

Fletcher emphasized how rare it is for EAPS to go beyond the amount of allowed snow days for school closure due to winter weather.

“In my nine years in Escanaba, we’ve only exceeded our allotted six days one time, and we were granted a waiver from the State Superintendent for the days we went over. We’ve not had to make up any time.”

The Superintendent of Gwinn Area Schools Sara Croney told the Mining Journal her district has had five snow days in the past three weeks.

“It’s extremely unusual,” emphasized Croney. “This is my 28th year as a superintendent, and I have never seen anything like this before.”

However, the Mining Journal also heard from the Superintendent of Superior Central Schools Bill Valima, who noted this winter isn’t uncommon for the area.

“It’s the U.P. in the winter,” said Valima. “You can’t predict lake effect snow. We’ve had a couple of mild winters, but now we’re back to normal.”

The Daily Press did not receive comment from the Gladstone Area School District.