News Photo by Reagan Voetberg The playground at Ella White in Alpena was covered in snow on Monday evening.

ALPENA — School districts in Northeast Michigan are prepared to appeal snow days now that four of the seven public school districts in the area have reached the limit of six that Michigan allows without adding extra days to the end of the year.

The snow days include days when school was called off for either poor road conditions due to snow and ice or frigid temperatures.

Alpena Public Schools, Onaway Area Community School District, Alcona Community Schools, and Hillman Community Schools have each called six snow days.

Atlanta Community Schools has called four snow days.

Rogers City Area Schools and Posen Consolidated School District have each called three snow days.

Dave Rabbideau, superintendent at APS, shared what happens if the district needs to call a seventh snow day for the safety of students and staff.

Above the six snow days, Rabbideau said, schools are allowed to appeal three additional days. APS is planning to appeal those days if need be. Rabbideau expressed that appeals are rarely unsuccessful.

In the case that an appeal is denied, or if a district has to call more than nine snow days, extra days are tagged on to the end of the school year.

This school year, APS called two snow days for frigid temperatures and four for bad conditions due to snow or ice, Rabbideau said in an email.

Last school year, APS had four total snow days and one “staff illness” day where there were not enough staff to safely operate the district, Rabbideau said in an email.

The process of calling a snow day can start early in the morning, according to a Dec. 3 press release. The superintendent of APS and the transportation supervisor get in their cars at 3 a.m. to drive on several of the most challenging roads around the county to check the conditions.

APS’s goal is to make the difficult prediction of what conditions will be like at the time students are picked up and dropped off for the coming school day. All 604-square-miles of the district are taken into consideration.

APS reviews weather radar reports from the National Weather Service and consults with the Alpena County Road Commission. They also consult with superintendents from the surrounding counties.

Then, an informed decision is made utilizing all the information from those sources. On the rare occasion when conditions change drastically it may require a late-closure call or an early dismissal.

When the temperature is the question, a similar consultation occurs, the release said. There is no district policy listing an automatic temperature that results in closure. The general temperature expectation for closure is a sustained -25-degree wind chill.

In the press release, APS reminded its families that they are the best judge of the conditions at their location. As a parent, it is their right to decide if it is safe for their child to attend based on their individual situation. APS asks parents to call the school to excuse their child if it’s decided that it isn’t safe for them to attend. Families that keep their child home should be sure to find out about work that was missed and make it up like they would for any absence.

Reagan Voetberg can be reached at 989-358-5683 or rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.