Schools – 180 days required

With a number of Michigan schools shutting down on a regular basis because of this frigid winter weather, the question is what will Michigan lawmakers do about making sure students meet the 180 day requirement to be in school. Currently every school district gets six days off for bad weather but last year the governor signed a bill allowing districts to tag on additional time at the end of the school day to make up the lost time. Don Wortruba of the Michigan Association of School Boards says he favors allowing the districts to forget about making up the lost days calling it a more honest approach. But State Representative Andy Schor argues that if the kids get a day off, they should make up the whole day at the end of the year. The Lansing Democrat also wouldn’t be opposed to starting the school year a little earlier so districts have a little buffer. But extending the school year deeper into June creates a new set of problems..some schools don’t have air conditioning and some parents will complain that is cutting into their vacation time. Meanwhile, Mother Nature apparently could care less about educating children as she continues to pile it on.  (MRN)