LANSING, Mich. — Sen. John Damoose on Wednesday introduced legislation that would provide more scheduling flexibility for Northern Michigan and Upper Peninsula schools affected by the recent ice storm.
“I’ve heard from a number of concerned parents regarding what this storm will mean for their kids’ school schedules,” said Damoose, R-Harbor Springs. “This fix would allow schools that were closed during the state of emergency to request to have additional school days waived for the current academic year.”
Senate Bill 212 would allow the state superintendent to waive up to 10 additional school days for schools that were closed due to the ice storm. The waiver would only apply to schools located in Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego and Presque Isle counties.
The storm left over 63,000 residents, schools and businesses without power, though as of April 14, all impacted schools are back in session.
“This is a quick, sensible solution, but is also something that will eliminate one of the many concerns these families and schools are currently facing,” Damoose said. “We need to fast-track this legislation so schools, parents and students can receive some certainty of what their schedules will look like as we continue to recover up north.”
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