It’s turning into one of those Ohio winters with its fair share of missed school days due to hazardous roads and dangerous wind chill temperatures. On Jan. 28, Cloverleaf closed for its sixth calamity day of the school year – and there are still several weeks of winter left.
It’s natural for some to begin to wonder: “Are students going to have to start making up school days at the end of the year?”
The short answer is: No.
Prior to the 2014-15 school year, districts had to make up instructional days after the fifth calamity day was used (except when the state granted waivers to this rule). Back then, the district calendar traditionally included five potential school days at the end of the year to make up calamity days, if needed.
However, Ohio changed from a minimum days requirement to a minimum hours requirement. The current minimum requirement is 910 hours of instruction for students in grades K-6 and 1,001 hours for students in grades 7-12. Cloverleaf is far above the minimum hour requirements for instructional time. This means the number of calamity days needed before making up days far exceeds the former five-day requirement.
The decision to close school is never made lightly. It’s always based on firsthand assessments of road conditions in our sprawling 119-square-mile district and on the most reliable weather forecasting available.
We know cancellations are disruptive to parent work schedules and family routines. We are grateful to everyone for their patience and understanding as Cloverleaf continues to make student safety our top priority every day.