By 1812Blockhouse
Lexington Local Schools Superintendent Jeremy Secrist has informed families that recent weather closures will require adjustments to the district calendar.
In a letter dated February 2, Secrist shared that since his last update on January 21, the district has missed three additional days of school due to weather. Lexington has now experienced eight weather-related closures this school year and has exhausted the buffer days built into its calendar.
As a result, three days will need to be made up. Students will now be in session on Monday, February 16 (Presidents Day). Two additional make-up days will be added to the end of the year, with students attending school on Thursday, May 28 and Friday, May 29. If no further closures occur, May 29 will be the final day of school for students.
Why “calamity days” work differently in Ohio now
While districts often still use the familiar phrase “calamity days,” Ohio law no longer sets a fixed number of days that can be missed before make-up time is required. Instead, the state operates on an hour-based instructional requirement.
Schools must provide at least:
- 455 hours for half-day kindergarten
- 910 hours for full-day kindergarten through grade 6
- 1,001 hours for grades 7 through 12
District calendars are built with extra instructional hours above those minimums to absorb typical weather delays and closures. There is no statutory cap on how many days a district may close. The legal trigger for make-up time is simply whether closures would cause the district to fall below the required annual instructional hours.
How districts handle make-up time
If a district risks dropping below the state minimum hours, it must adjust the calendar. That can include:
- Adding days at the end of the school year
- Adding minutes to remaining school days
- Switching to remote instruction, if the board has adopted a plan in advance
State law allows local school boards, by August 1 each year, to adopt a written plan permitting up to the equivalent of three school days of lost instruction to be made up through online learning. These plans require teacher association consent where applicable and are kept locally.
Because each district builds its calendar differently, local “snow day” or “calamity day” policies vary widely, even though all are built on the same statewide hour requirement. Secrist thanked families for their flexibility and support as the district works to ensure students receive the instructional time required by law.
Image by stoneyridgefarmky from Pixabay
