Weather frustrations high among educators
By Bob Robinson

GREENVILLE – On Jan. 27 Greenville School District was scheduling school days until May 30 to make up extra calamity days. Overnight temps dropped to minus 15 degrees with minus 32 degree wind chills… Darke County campuses, including Greenville’s, were once again closed. This pushed GCSD to June 2, one short of its final available day.

While some school districts were going to Blizzard Bags or E-Days, Superintendent Doug Fries said neither was currently anticipated for Greenville.

“The school board has already approved five make-up days,” he said. “We have no plans for anything else at this point.” Jan. 28 was the District’s 10th calamity day and fifth day that would have to be made up. School districts are currently allowed five calamity days. Since GCSD has already made up one day (MLK Day), the district still has one more available under the current law.

Districts try to make up lost days as soon as possible due to state testing schedules. The OGT (Ohio Graduation Test) for high school students has to be taken from March 10 through 23. The OAA (Ohio Achievement Assessment) for grades three through eight has to be taken between April 22 and May 9.

According to the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators (OAESA), in the 2014-15 school year there will no longer be official calamity days, rather a minimum number of hours students must be involved in instructional activity. Full day kindergarten through sixth grade will be required to have 910 hours. Junior high and high school (7-12) will be required to have 1,001 hours.

“We’ll still have the same schedule, the same number of days,” Fries said, “but will have more leeway in how we handle possible calamity days.”

According to OAESA there are restrictions in what districts can include in the minimum hours: up to two equivalent days for individualized parent-teacher conferences, up to two equivalent days for professional meetings of teachers and for grades K-6 no more than 15 minutes for morning and afternoon recess periods. Lunch and breakfast periods, and extracurricular activities, cannot be counted. Also the schedule must include five days each week.

Teachers and staff are unhappy over the weather this year. An East School teacher noted in frustration, “at this point we’ll be going to school until July.” Another school official was hoping Jan. 27 would only be a 2-hour delay. Once the closure was confirmed, there was little doubt a further decrease in temperature that night would result in another closure.

“Everybody is somewhat frustrated over this,” Fries said, noting unfortunately the weather can’t be controlled and student safety is paramount.

While Ohio has taken steps to solve the calamity day problem next year, school districts are still facing a large number of closures this year. Gov. John Kasich has asked the state legislature and the Ohio Department of Education to consider expanding the number of calamity days allowed, this year only. State Representative Jim Buchy has indicated he will support the move. The Ohio House Education Committee has recommended adding four days to the allowable schedule for this year. The proposal still has to be voted upon by the Senate and the House of Representatives.

While frustration is high among teachers and staff, a survey of 16 juniors and seniors from different local school districts pointed out the vast majority liked the ‘calamity days’ system. “It gives us a break,” said one student. Most still liked the calamity days even if it meant a longer school year.

Published courtesy of the Early Bird