Gov. John Kasich signed legislation Wednesday to give school districts some relief from the long winter that already has prompted many to exceed their allotments of calamity days.
The legislation, approved earlier this month in a compromise between the Ohio House and Senate, provides schools with four additional calamity days. Districts first will have to make up four snow days before they can tap the extra calamity days contained in the bill.
State law allows schools to forgive up to five school days canceled due to hazardous weather, disease epidemics or other calamities. In January, Kasich urged the General Assembly to consider adding calamity days for this year because of the harsh winter.
The House and Senate initially disagreed on how many days to grant districts and on the amount of time districts should be expected to make up.
School superintendents told lawmakers the additional days would alleviate the pressure to hold school on potentially dangerous days during the rest of this school year.
But House Republicans were divided on the issue, with some concerned that the state would pay teachers and staff for days not worked.
The Senate added a requirement that schools make up days already penciled in for snow days, called contingency days.
The final bill, crafted in a conference committee, allows schools to make up days in 30-minute increments or by assigning take-home work, or “blizzard bags.” The bill contains an emergency clause making it law as soon as Kasich signs it.
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