Washington School Districts Get Some Relief
OLYMPIA – January 12, 2007 - Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson will use OSPI’s emergency rule-making authority to amend the Washington Administrative Code next week to give some relief to school districts particularly hard hit by this winter’s flooding and high winds.
Under the amendment, when the governor has declared a state of emergency -- as she did in several counties after the November flooding and across the state following the December wind storm -- school districts that were forced to close in counties where the emergency was declared may not have to make up the days related to that closure. Under current rules, districts must always make up the first three days of any closure incident, and can apply for a waiver of the remaining days of that incident. And even when the three-day makeup requirement is waived in declared emergencies, districts will still have to provide students with the required 1,000-hour minimum for instructional hours. Lost hours can, for instance, be made up by extending scheduled half-days to full school days, or by lengthening the school day.
The change should come as a particular relief to districts that were not only hit hard by the floods and windstorms but also now face a new round of days to make up thanks to the recent snow. It’s important to note, however, that the rule change does not have a direct or ongoing effect on school closures caused by snow. Only if snow conditions were bad enough for the governor to declare an emergency could the three-day makeup requirement be waived. And that has not been the case with this week’s round of snowfall. Some media reports may have given the incorrect impression that all snow-day makeup requirements were being dropped.
Small school districts have been particularly hard hit because of the impact such emergencies have on their communities. School buildings may have to serve as shelters or temporary nursing homes for people who live nearby, which can further delay getting the schools open again.
Under the amendment, when the governor has declared a state of emergency -- as she did in several counties after the November flooding and across the state following the December wind storm -- school districts that were forced to close in counties where the emergency was declared may not have to make up the days related to that closure. Under current rules, districts must always make up the first three days of any closure incident, and can apply for a waiver of the remaining days of that incident. And even when the three-day makeup requirement is waived in declared emergencies, districts will still have to provide students with the required 1,000-hour minimum for instructional hours. Lost hours can, for instance, be made up by extending scheduled half-days to full school days, or by lengthening the school day.
The change should come as a particular relief to districts that were not only hit hard by the floods and windstorms but also now face a new round of days to make up thanks to the recent snow. It’s important to note, however, that the rule change does not have a direct or ongoing effect on school closures caused by snow. Only if snow conditions were bad enough for the governor to declare an emergency could the three-day makeup requirement be waived. And that has not been the case with this week’s round of snowfall. Some media reports may have given the incorrect impression that all snow-day makeup requirements were being dropped.
Small school districts have been particularly hard hit because of the impact such emergencies have on their communities. School buildings may have to serve as shelters or temporary nursing homes for people who live nearby, which can further delay getting the schools open again.
- Information taken from OSPI website
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