Schools in the Southern US & Snow.

[sports fan Matt]

A question for parents/kids/mainly anyone who can answer. When it snows as much in some parts of the US as it has, do school districts add extra days? I realize schools are budgeted for school days and they must be in session for 180 some odd days, but if the weather is inclement, then what occurs? I'd also think the sand supplies would be rather low, depending on where you live.

[j.bell730]

Here, it's not uncommon to use more than the allotted number of snow days. When we do, we have to add the number of snow days we went over to the end of the school year. It's not usually more than 1 or 2 though.

[ratcheer]

It is the same here in the South. They will add however many days it takes to have their 180 school days for the year. But, they almost never have to add any.

This year, there was a day canceled in late January. There was a holiday scheduled in early February (President's Day), but it was also a designated "snow day". So, school was in session on President's Day and, so far, no days will have to be added at the end of the year.

Tim

[Tristam Green]

Everywhere I lived would even add for hurricanes. Most students wouldn't attend though...

[tjwoosta]

Not sure about down south. I live in maine. When I was a kid it wasnt uncommon to have 10-15 snow days.

Around here, since snow days are expected, they actually schedual for a certain amout, like say 5 snow days. They have kids start school that much earlier in the year so they can hopefully still get out in june. After 5 snow days are used they start adding additional days at the end of the school year. So usually they schedule for like june 15 with 5 snow days, but if we were to have 15 snow days we wouldnt get out untill like the 25.

[tgalati4]

In socal, the LA Unified School District wants to cut 6 days due to a $600M shortfall. Snow days without the snow.

[sports fan Matt]

The last big snow we had was terrible. I had friends without power for 5 days..and I'm in Texas. It was the 1st time in 30 some odd years that it stuck--all 14 " of it. My brother in law is a principal at a high school about 450 miles away (North of Amarillo) and it's not uncommon to see snow up there, but here the challenge was great. Something like a half million had no power, and limbs are still down from the last storm. I can see TJ's point also. However I don't see Texas getting 14 " of snow for a very long time.

[Megrimn]

Here, it's not uncommon to use more than the allotted number of snow days. When we do, we have to add the number of snow days we went over to the end of the school year. It's not usually more than 1 or 2 though.

What he said. Though in the North, especially Minnesota, we are so well equipped with snowplows and stuff that we rarely see more than a day or two off. It has to be so bad or so icy that the buses wouldn't dare go through, and the bus drivers in my district would plow through anything. One day at our stop the bus hit the brakes and slid 10 feet before coming to a stop.

We don't usually get our hopes up for more than a 2-hour delay. Even my dad would just get up, plow the driveway, and then go to work almost 40 minutes away.

Living in Arkansas during all the snow though, I have been scoffing a bit. Yes, they don't have plows, they have little experience driving in these conditions, but cancelling school even 3 days later when the buses would have been able to go through is ridiculous.