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Students in the Omaha Public Schools need to make up time lost to snow and cold. And the district needs to make sure its plan doesn't cost too much.
So students will make up time on days within the regular school calendar.
The school board was briefed Monday on several plans to ensure that the district's students are in school enough hours to meet state requirements.
All elementary school students will attend a full day on Friday. Originally, it was planned as a half-day. Elementary students are about three hours shy of the state requirement of 1,032 hours because of the six snow and cold days already used this winter.
High school students will attend school all day on both March 4 and 5. March 4 had been a half-day and March 5 was a vacation day because of parent-teacher conferences.
In addition, from Feb. 18 until May 21, the high school day will begin 15 minutes earlier. That means classes will begin at 7:30 a.m. Bus routes will be adjusted accordingly.
High school students aren't behind the state's requirement of 1,080 instructional hours. The extra time will add the flexibility needed for students to participate in special end-of-the-year activities that don't count toward the state's time requirement.
No changes are needed so far for middle school students.
Superintendent John Mackiel told school board members that the plan balanced the flexibility within the school calendar with the need to control expenses.
Contact the writer:
444-1037, michaela.saunders@owh.com
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