North Michigan News

State Representative Cam Cavitt has successfully led the passage of a bill in the House that aims to forgive school closures caused by ice storms, thereby preventing mandatory summer school for Northern Michigan students. The legislation received unanimous support.

“While no one is happy that this ice storm took our kids out of the classroom, extending instruction past the 4th of July is not an appropriate remedy,” stated Cavitt, R-Cheboygan. He added, “I’ve spoken to teachers and administrators who say summertime instruction is challenging and ineffective. Students are checked out, and much of what teachers say will likely go in one ear and out the other. With that in mind, I hope the Senate recognizes the urgency here and passes this plan as soon as possible. The school year is almost over, and without legislative intervention, our students and teachers will still be stuck in classrooms well into the summer.”

The proposed legislation, House Bill 4345, targets the 2024-2025 academic year. It allows local school boards to waive up to an additional 15 days of instruction if their district lies at least partially within counties declared a state of emergency by the governor. These counties include Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and Presque Isle.

“We talk over and over again about getting back to normal; there is nothing normal about making our kids sit in hot classrooms until July,” Cavitt remarked. “These kids sat at home for two weeks without power. They helped parents chop wood, clean up debris, keep pipes from freezing and manage the overall disaster that was this ice storm. These kids did their part; they shouldn’t lose a month of their summer break because of a situation entirely out of their control.”

The bill now proceeds to the Senate for further deliberation.