How Many Snow Days Do Hartland Schools Get?

Due to extreme weather conditions around southeast Michigan this week, Hartland Consolidated Schools closed school three consecutive days in a row.

Starting 2014 with so many snow days has some wondering whether the district will have to add days in the summer. 

Most of the schools in the Hartland School district have a recorded four snow days, with the exception of Farms Intermediate and Lakes Elementary, Assistant Superintendent Scott VanEpps said in an email to Patch. 

"Farms was cancelled one additional day due to power failure and Lakes was closed two additional days due to power failure," he said in the email. "Districts are allowed to cancel school up to six days due to weather/building issues. Days must be made up beyond six."

However, Gov. Rick Snyder recently signed legislation allowing schools with too many snow days to avoid having to schedule extra days in the summer.

According to Public Act 29 of 2013, school districts that weren't open at least 170 days could continue receiving state funding, as long as they still met the 1,098-hour minimum, which meant school districts that had more than six snow days could hold longer days for the remainder of the school year instead of adding days.

The law only applied only to the 2012-2013 school year. It would take another act of the legislature for such flexibility to be available during the 2013-2014 school year.