By Megan Kelley
Review Writer
Lake Orion residents are no strangers to snow days. This year however, school districts across the state have grown accustom to regularly having to canceling school due to the weather conditions.
During this school year, Lake Orion Community Schools have racked up 11 total canceled days — with the exception of Carpenter which, has 14, because of extra closures due to building problems.
In a board meeting on Feb. 13, Superintendent Marion Ginopolis stated that Lake Orion is not alone in their abundance of canceled school days. As of then, Brandon had canceled school 12 times, Clarkston 11, Holly 13, Huron Valley 10, Oxford 9, Pontiac 8, Rochester 8 and Waterford 10.
School districts in Michigan are automaticaly given six canceled school days. After those six are used, there are a couple of options.
Either districts must make up their missed days, or they can apply for an “additional forgiven time waiver,” which, would provide the district with an extra three allotted days.
On Feb. 25, Ginopolis stated on the district website that they were currently planning to have school the full week of June 17-21.
However, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Rick Arnett was able to confirm to The Lake Orion Review on March 12 that LOCS had been approved for the “additional forgiven time waiver.”
This gives LOCS nine forgiven days and therefore, only two (Carpenter five) days needed to be made up.
While these additional three days do not cover the full 11 missed days, the district is also keeping their eye on proposed legislation that could potentially forgive the two days missed during the State of Emergency called by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in January.
Should this legislation pass, Lake Orion would receive an additional two days which, would fully cover the 11 missed days (Carpenter would be left with three days to make up).
“Until we feel comfortable with how much time, if any, we will need to make up, we are not publishing a new calendar,” said Arnett.