State Rep. Dave Prestin today cast a key vote to secure the passage of a plan to forgive missed school days for schools that had to close for extreme weather events over the last several months.  The bills are designed to address the fallout from the record-breaking snowstorm in March, historic low temperature in December, and the major floods last month, which schools could not have planned for.

“I began pushing my colleagues hard on getting relief for U.P. communities while snow was still falling during the blizzard,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “It’s no secret that we get a lot of snow in the U.P., but there are storms you just can’t plan for. School districts are much larger than they were 50 years ago, as school districts have consolidated, forcing kids to spend longer on the bus. Schools shouldn’t be penalized when they make the right choice for student safety.”

Schools are currently permitted six snow days annually under state law, which is typically sufficient to address weather-related closures. Without state assistance, schools may be forced to hold classes well into the summer, potentially creating conflicts for teachers and students with summer jobs, planned summer maintenance on school grounds, and summer plans for families.

“I am proud to have brought my colleagues together to get this done,” Prestin said. “Lansing is often too slow, so I was glad to put together a team that worked together to get this done for our schools. Giving our schools the flexibility they need after storms like the ones we experienced is just common sense”

The plan, House Bill 5797, now moves to the state Senate for further consideration.

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