State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, on Wednesday released the following statement after the Senate passed his plan to forgive ice-storm-related school closures, protecting Northern Michigan schools and students from mandatory summer school:

“People plan around the school calendar. Districts have scheduled renovations, teachers have second jobs, and students have summer commitments – these things can’t just be put on pause while we extend the school year by a month. Forgiving these snow days ensures the ice-storm doesn’t throw a huge wrench into everyone’s summer.

“I’m grateful to Speaker Hall, Senate Majority Leader Brinks, and Gov. Whitmer for embracing bipartisanship and expediting the passage of my plan to ensure Northern Michigan students don’t lose half their summer vacation because of a once-in-a-generation ice storm.

“We may have our disagreements, but before party politics, divisive rhetoric, and partisan gridlock, we were all just a couple of kids with our eyes glued on the clock on the last day of school. No one forgets the feeling of the last day of school. At its core, that’s what my snow day forgiveness plan protects.”

House Bill 4345 passed the House with unanimous support and the Senate with near unanimous support. It is the first House bill to pass the Senate that was not part of a larger policy negotiation, like agreements over tipped wage and sick time fixes and an extension to the campaign finance filing deadline.

The legislation specifically addresses the 2024-2025 school year and would allow local school boards to waive up to an additional 15 days of instruction. The school district must be located, at least partially, within a county covered by a state of emergency declared by the governor. Those counties include Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and Presque Isle.

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