ROCKFORD, Mich. — Rockford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Shibler said the state approved the district's request for three additional snow days in addition to the original six forgiven days. This leaves the district with five days to make up.
"Our tentative plan is to hold school on Friday, May 24 (the Friday prior to Memorial Day earmarked as a snow make-up day), leaving an additional four days to be made up unless the Legislature forgives additional days due to the extenuating circumstances," Shibler wrote in an email Wednesday.
"As it stands today, we need to add four days onto the end of the school year and this does not include any additional closings we may experience."
Rockford Public Schools have had 14 snow days so far this year.
Typically, the state will only forgive up to six days and an additional three only if the district requests a waiver.
Superintendent Michael Shibler wrote in a letter to parents earlier this month that safety is his first priority in canceling school.
"Second only to safety, is the importance of instructional time. This number of lost days of instruction is having a major impact on teaching and learning," said Shibler. "Therefore, our building principals are working with our teachers to prioritize the crucial instructional components of our K-12 curricula to make sure our students receive that instruction."
Shibler said school districts across the state are asking for legislative action that would forgive the canceled days thus far, and then start over with six new days. Governor Whitmer's approval is the only way to get these days forgiven, according to Shibler, so he encouraged parents to reach out to state legislators.
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