Cleveland Plain Dealer
Kasich signs calamity days bill giving school districts some relief from the harsh winter
By Robert Higgs
March 26, 2014

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Gov. John Kasich signed legislation Wednesday to give school districts some relief from the long winter that already has prompted many to exceed their allotments of calamity days.

The legislation, approved earlier this month in a compromise between the Ohio House and Senate, provides schools with four additional calamity days. Districts first will have to make up four snow days before they can tap the extra calamity days contained in the bill

State law allows schools to forgive up to five school days canceled due to hazardous weather, disease epidemics or other calamities. In January, Kasich urged the General Assembly to consider adding calamity days for this year because of the harsh winter.

Before signing the bill, Kasich provided students from two schools -- Stingel Elementary in Ontario and Greensview Elementary in Upper Arlington -- with their history lesson for the day, explaining why the office in the Statehouse was called the Lincoln Room.

For the record: Abraham Lincoln was seated in the room in early 1861 at the desk Kasich used today, meeting with Ohio Gov. William Dennison, when he learned the House of Representatives had accepted the vote of the Electoral College confirming his election as president.

Fifth graders from Stingel Elementary had sent the governor letters lobbying for the extra calamity days to help their school

Kasich, after signing his name to the bill, turned to their teacher, Amanda Gurney, for help dotting the "i" in his signature…

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