WAUKESHA — All of these school closings might eat into your family's summer schedule.
We took a look at some of the options district leaders have, if they need to make up days they've called off because of the weather.
Every major school district superintendent in Southeast Wisconsin told TODAY'S TMJ4 on Wednesday they are evaluating how to make up the days needed, because even more school days could be canceled. Except for Waukesha, which has a plan already in place.
The Waukesha School District decided to call off school Thursday. Its spokeswoman tells us the wind chills are too dangerous for students to trek to school.
"The wind chill advisory of -35 is usually the guideline we follow," Waukesha School District spokeswoman Terry Schuster said. "Our superintendent collaborates with other superintendents in Waukesha County."
Schuster tells us three extra school days were built in for the year. Now that they have called off a fourth day, they will add an extra day of school Monday, June 10, 2019.
Their spokeswoman tells us making this decision was not taken lightly.
"When making any of our decisions the safety of our students is the number one priority," Schuster said.
Districts decide separately on how to make up school days.
Along with adding an extra day at the end of the school year, districts could also add a few minutes to each school day for the rest of the year.
Here are the exact hours your child's district is required to be open, each school year. As you will see, it varies based on which grade your child is in:
- Kindergarten: 437 Hours
- First Through Sixth Grade: 1,050 Hours
- Seventh Through 12th Grade: 1,137 Hours
There is a last resort for districts: have the missed days waived. Spokesman Thomas McCarthy of the Wisconsin Department of Instruction tells us they do not take those requests lightly. There is a long vetting process before that could ever be granted and, "The law requires a district to attempt to make up the time during the school year before seeking a waiver."
