School Schedules

Ohio districts and schools are on hour-based, not day-based, schedules. The result is there are no longer calamity days in Ohio schools. Instead, schools should schedule “excess” hours above the minimum number of required hours to accommodate weather-related situations that delay or cancel school. Hours missed above the required minimum do not have to be made up. However, if a school closes enough that it will fall below the minimum number of hours, the school must make up the hours by extending its scheduled year.

For example:

  • The schedule for High School A is to be open for instruction for 1,001 hours, the minimum required with no excess hours.
  • During the winter, bad weather forces the school to close for 32 hours.

High School A is required to make up the 32 hours of missed instruction.

  • The schedule for High School B is to be open for instruction for 1,040 hours. This gives the school 39 excess hours, which are hours above the minimum.
  • During the winter, bad weather forces the school to close for 32 hours.

High School B is not required to make up the 32 hours of missed instruction. It still has seven excess hours remaining for the year.

One way to make up the hours missed below the minimum required is a plan that requires students to access and complete classroom lessons posted on the district’s or nonpublic school’s web portal or website. Prior to Aug.1 of each school year, the local school board of education of a public school, or governing authority of a community school or chartered nonpublic school may adopt a plan to make up hours in that school year when it is necessary to close school. The plan explains how the school will make up the missed hours up to the equivalent of three scheduled days. Schools do not submit locally approved plans to the Ohio Department of Education. The adopted plan should include the written consent of the teachers’ employee representative per Ohio Revised Code 4417.04 Division B.

Districts and schools may use blizzard bags only when it is necessary to close the school because of:

  • Disease epidemic;
  • Hazardous weather conditions;
  • Law enforcement emergencies;
  • Inoperability of school buses or other equipment necessary to the school's operation;
  • Damage to a school building; or
  • Other temporary circumstances due to utility failure rendering the school building unfit for school use.

Last Modified: 11/24/2017 3:06:02 PM