Moorhead Schools might add days, but not for flooding
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Moorhead Superintendent Lynne Kovash is recommending the district add two days to the end of the school year for students.
But those two days are actually for snow days from before the flooding, so technically, Kovash is recommending the district not make up any of the eight days it had off for flooding.
But a school day is a school day -- which means Moorhead students will finish on Friday, June 5, instead of Wednesday, June 3.
Schools in Moorhead were closed all this week and three days last week because of flooding. Kovash says the lost time makes it especially important to focus on as much quality instruction as possible.
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"Perhaps some of those school parties, things like that - that we have at the end of the year - I'm really asking for those to be planned on Friday only, June 5, so that we really can have a focus until that date," Kovash said, in an interview.
Moorhead students have now missed a total of 11 days this year -- three for snow, eight for flooding. Students already made up one snow day in January. Kovach is recommending making up the other two snow days June 4-5.
Kovash is also asking for the addition of two additional 'staff only' days, on Monday and Tuesday, June 8-9. Graduation is still set for Sunday, June 7.
The Moorhead School Board gets final say on the proposed changes at a meeting Monday night.
Decisions on make-up days in Minnesota are up to local school boards. In North Dakota, schools need a waiver from the state to forego make-up days. Fargo schools are expected to get such a waiver.
Students going back to school on Monday are likely to find their bus routes altered, as some roads are still affected by the flooding.
Fargo Public Schools Superintendent Rick Burghs says students did a great job of helping out with sandbagging operations. He says it's important for them to return to a normal routine.
Some school buildings were used for shelters during the height of the flood emergency; buses were also commandeered to transport people for various purposes.
Most schools escaped damage from the Red River flooding. One exception is Oak Grove Lutheran School in north Fargo, which lost two classroom buildings and will move classes to Fargo public school buildings.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
