Latest news with #HouseBill4345
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Whitmer signs northern Michigan snow day forgiveness plan
An ice storm leaves a tree coated in Gaylord. March 30, 2025. Photo courtesy of NOAA's National Weather Service. Legislation to forgive ice-storm related school closures was signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday, protecting northern Michigan students and schools from mandatory summer school sessions. House Bill 4345, now Public Act 5 of 2025, passed with unanimous support in the Michigan House of Representatives and with near-unanimous support from the Michigan Senate. The plan addresses additional days in the 2024-25 school year, allowing local school boards to waive up to an additional 15 days of instruction. The school district must be located, at least partially, in a county covered by a state emergency declared by the governor. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Due to the recent spring ice storms that ravaged northern Michigan, those counties include Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and Presque Isle counties. Bill sponsor Rep. Cam Cavitt (R-Cheboygan), said in a statement that he was grateful to Whitmer for signing the bill, and that schools should not be penalized for keeping kids safe during an ice storm. 'This is a smart, bipartisan win for students, teachers, and local communities,' Cavitt said. 'Now that our snow day forgiveness plan is law, school districts can end the school year when it makes the most sense for them. There will be no state mandate forcing districts to remain open for weeks into the summer and foot all the corresponding bills that would come along with the extended school year.' Cavitt said schools don't budget for facility costs in June, and that teachers and students line up summer work opportunities well before the school year ends. Districts also typically plan facility maintenance during that time due to the lack of students in the buildings. 'For all these reasons, it didn't make sense to force schools into hosting mandatory summer school,' Cavitt said. 'The ice storm threw everything out of whack. I'm glad we didn't let it ruin summertime too.'
CBS News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Extra "snow days" official for schools in Northern Michigan ice storm region
Northern Michigan schools that canceled classes because of the March 28-30 ice storm will not be required to make up those days with summer school. In some cases, those students missed two weeks of classes because of the widespread damage and resulting regional power outages. Those closures were in addition to any weather-related days off that happened earlier in the year for local weather situations. The bill had passed the House in early May and later passed the Senate. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the bill Monday. There was nearly unanimous support among the Lansing lawmakers for the step. The bill was introduced by State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, whose district includes several of the school districts within the region affected by the devastating ice storm March 28-30. "Schools shouldn't be penalized for keeping kids safe during an ice storm. This is a smart, bipartisan win for students, teachers, and local communities. Now that our snow day forgiveness plan is law, school districts can end the school year when it makes the most sense for them," Cavitt said. "Schools don't budget for facility costs in July. Teachers and students line up summer work well before the school year ends. Districts plan regular facility maintenance for the summer because students aren't supposed to be there. "For all these reasons, it didn't make sense to force schools into hosting mandatory summer school." Michigan schools have some leeway in setting their academic calendars, but the state requires at least 1,098 hours and 180 days of student instruction. There is some wiggle room for emergency days off. House Bill 4345 specifically addresses the 2024-25 school year and allows a waiver of up to an additional 15 days. The school district must be located, at least partially, within a county covered by a state of emergency declared by the governor. Those counties were Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and Presque Isle. Michigan has allowed additional days because of severe winters in the past, but that has been on a case-by-case basis. The above video originally aired May 7.
CBS News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Michigan House passes "snow day" bill for ice storm-affected districts
A request to allow some Northern Michigan schools additional days off this year has cleared the state House and is going to the state Senate. The bill was introduced April 17 by State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, whose district includes several of the school districts affected by a devastating ice storm March 28-30. Some schools were out of session for two weeks because of the power outages and storm damage. The bill passed the House with unanimous support. "While no one is happy that this ice storm took our kids out of the classroom, extending instruction past the 4th of July is not an appropriate remedy," Cavitt said. "I've spoken to teachers and administrators who say summertime instruction is challenging and ineffective. Students are checked out, and much of what teachers say will likely go in one ear and out the other." Michigan schools do have some leeway in setting their academic calendars, but the state requires at least 1,098 hours and 180 days of student instruction. There is some wiggle room built in for emergency days off. Michigan has allowed occasional allowances because of severe winters, but that is a case-by-case basis. House Bill 4345 is specific to the 2024-25 school year and to districts who are in counties covered by an already-issued emergency declaration from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Those counties include Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and Presque Isle. "These kids sat at home for two weeks without power. They helped parents chop wood, clean up debris, keep pipes from freezing, and manage the overall disaster that was this ice storm. These kids did their part; they shouldn't lose a month of their summer break because of a situation entirely out of their control," Cavitt said. The plan now moves to the Senate for further consideration. The video above previously aired on April 11, 2025.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Cheboygan schools could face extended year if ice storm legislation doesn't pass
CHEBOYGAN — Cheboygan Area Schools could have their school year extended until the third week of June if a piece of legislation doesn't pass, according to Superintendent Spencer Byrd. Cheboygan Area Schools faced repeated school closures this winter. In addition to the typical snow days, East Elementary School closed for multiple days in February after an unidentified odor led to headaches and other symptoms for teachers and students at the school. After an ice storm swept the region in late March, the district saw another extended closure, with all schools shuttered from March 31-April 9. Classes resumed in the district on Thursday, April 10. More: Parents air concerns about carbon dioxide levels at Cheboygan's East Elementary School More: 'A generational storm': Northern Michigan ice storm was worst in over 100 years In total, the district used nine snow days, and then used an additional eight days following the ice storm. East Elementary School added three additional closures of its own. State Sen. John Damoose and State Rep. Cam Cavitt both filed separate bills designed to address the issue of school closures related to the ice storm with slight variations. Both aimed to offer forgiveness for days out of school while Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's State of Emergency was in effect. Cavitt's House Bill 4345 has been moving forward and is expected to be voted on by the House of Representatives on Tuesday, May 6, Byrd told the Daily Tribune. In Michigan, schools are expected to have 180 days of student instruction. Up to six days can be forgiven for any reason, whether it be power outages, inclement weather or illness. After those six days, schools can request three additional days off, which must be approved by the state superintendent. Even before the ice storm, Cheboygan Area Schools had used up their nine days. Due to the closures at East Elementary School, two more days will need to be made up, Byrd said. One of those days has already been made up, and the other day will need to be added to the end of the calendar. It will be a professional development day for staff that students will not need to attend. According to MCL — 388.1701, a day of professional development can count toward pupil instruction, up to 38 hours total. For a professional development day to count as a day of pupil instruction, at least five hours of instructional work must be given to the staff. More: Northern Michigan schools hope state forgives days taken off for ice storm Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our local coverage That still leaves the question of the days the district was closed due to the ice storm. Damoose met with local superintendents on Monday, May 5 to discuss House Bill 4345, Byrd told the Daily Tribune in an email. Byrd added that it looks like there is a lot of support for the bill. If approved, individual school boards will need to vote on whether they would like to have the additional days off waived, or if they'd prefer to extend the school year for more instruction. The last day of school for Cheboygan is currently scheduled for June 6. — Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@ Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @KarlyGrahamJrn. This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Cheboygan schools could face extended school year if ice storm legislation doesn't pass
CBS News
18-04-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Northern Michigan lawmaker seeks forgiveness for ice storm-related school closings
A Michigan state representative has presented a bill seeking forgiveness of missed school days in a region that was hit hard by the March 28-30 ice storm . Some school districts in Northern Lower Michigan were out of session for two weeks in the aftermath because the resulting power outages were so widespread and extensive. Gaylord Community Schools, for example, posted on social media that it welcomed its students back on April 14. Cleanup and recovery efforts are still in progress. State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-District 106, presented his plan Thursday via House Bill 4345 , which has been referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce. The bill would remove minimum school hours and day requirements during the current school year for any county included in a state of emergency declared by the governor. Without such relief, Cavitt said, some schools might have to stay in session until July. The list of counties, under a state declaration issued by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, is Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego and Presque Isle. Cavitt's district includes parts of Cheboygan, Alpena, Oscoda, Montmorency and Presque Isle counties. Whitmer has requested , but not received a formal answer yet, on a federal declaration of emergency over the ice storm. Some of the school districts in Northern Michigan were out of session for two weeks in early April – and that's not counting any weather emergencies from earlier in the year. Michigan schools do have some leeway in setting their academic calendars, but the state requires at least 1,098 hours and 180 days of student instruction. There is some wiggle room built in for emergency days off. Extensions that Michigan allowed to the emergency day allowance during previous severe winters were granted for those years only. One such example involved the additional days that were allowed in 2018-19. "We had over 190 inches of snow this year. We've got days of school to make up already," Katy Xenakis-Makowski, Superintendent of the Johannesburg-Lewiston School District and President of the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators, said in her statement on the matter. "Adding additional days after assessments, after Memorial Day, going past Father's Day and towards the Fourth of July will not help instruction. We need to be focused on the basic needs of our community and helping build our kids back up."
