Speer: Flu putting make-up days to the test
Bill SpeerHow long do you want to be going to school this summer?
That is a serious question administrators, teachers, parents and students need to start pondering as illness already has closed a number of district schools this year.
I am in complete agreement with each school closing due to illness. Administrators really have little choice in the matter anyway as if their attendance numbers are below a certain percentage, a day wouldn't be counted for state record purposes.
However, these missed days now are going to have to be made up later. When you consider we haven't hit winter yet, can you imagine the potential that exists for missed school during the regular season this year?
A story in the Lansing State Journal last week indicated there is no consideration being given to forgiving districts the days being missed by the Michigan Department of Education.
I think now is the time for teacher union representatives, school administrators, parent-teacher presidents and student council representatives to begin discussing options for making up the days.
For instance, could a district forego an extra day or two over the Christmas break to make up some of the days? What about the same concept for spring break or other scheduled days off between now and the end of the year?
While students anxiously await that famous "s" word each winter for a snow day, I fear they might dread another "s" word this spring for Saturday school if these days keep mounting up for the districts.
When you think about it district officials really are limited in trying to deal with extended days off from school. Either they adjust their school calendar (which is hard with employee union issues and parent schedules), extend the end of the school year (which could have some districts headed to the end of June) or start scheduling Saturday make-up days (again, another problem with employee unions and parent schedules). I suppose another option would be to extend the length of a school day, but I am really opposed to that option as it is not beneficial to the learning process.
If the school closing trend we're seeing across the region continues for long, districts are going to have to soon begin discussing these options.
And unlike snow days, which often only result in one day away from the classroom, the closings now because of the flu are closing schools for multiple days at a time.
Being a school official today already is hard enough with decreased funding, more government mandates and a smorgasbord of society's baggage that accompany students to school.
Compound those headaches with flu concerns and student attendance numbers and it's enough to make school officials nauseous.
I don't know about you but it sure sounds to me in the above paragraph like school officials are suffering from flu-like symptoms. Unfortunately for them, it's just another day at the office.
