Winter 2026 - Snow Days

January 30, 2026

Dear Wildcat Families,

While we have enjoyed milder winters in recent years, this year’s winter has brought a return to more traditional Michigan weather. As we continue to navigate these unpredictable winter days, I want to provide you with an update regarding our District’s position for inclement weather and school closures. While our priority is always the safety of our school community, we are also committed to meeting the state’s rigorous educational standards.

To help understand Michigan's “snow day” rules, please review the following information and State requirements for instructional time.

Under Michigan State Law (MCL 388.1701), all school Districts are required to provide a minimum of 180 days and 1,098 hours of pupil instruction. The law allows the first six (6) days of missed instruction due to conditions beyond our control, including weather and non-weather-related events, to be "forgiven" and count toward these totals.  If our District exceeds six (6) closures, state law allows the local Districts to apply for a waiver for up to three (3) additional days. These waivers are not guaranteed and are typically granted for extreme or unusual circumstances. Once we exhaust our forgiven days and any granted waivers, state law requires us to make up the lost time, which may involve adding days to the end of the school year.  If this is the case, communication will be provided well in advance.

It has been asked whether we can simply "switch to remote learning" on snow days to avoid loss of learning and/or to make up time at the end of the year. However, per current Michigan Department of Education (MDE) policy and the State School Aid Act, remote or virtual days are not allowed to count as days of instruction for emergency closures.

• Legal Compliance: The current state budget and legislative framework (MCL 388.1701) do not recognize unplanned remote learning as a substitute for in-person instructional days

• Equity and Access: A primary reason the state does not allow this is that not all students have equal access to high-speed internet or the necessary technology at home. Shifting to remote learning at a moment's notice would unfairly disadvantage students without these resources, creating gaps in learning across our community.

We will continue to monitor weather conditions closely and will notify you as early as possible via our District website, social media, and automated calling system when a closure is necessary.

Thank you for your understanding and for your continued support as we work to keep our students safe and learning.

Yours in Education, 

Nikki Nash, Superintendent