By Angel Perkins Editor
    Students all over the Midwest revel in the aftermath of two simple words: school delayed. And the only two words that sound better to them than that are: school closed.
    Yes, snow days offer youngsters a day to legally play hooky, a day to forget books and focus on the television or the snow mound down the street, instead of what paper is due when and what test is coming up next. But while it may seem like a free pass for a day of leisure, those days must be made up eventually.

    Triton School Corporation schedules in extra days, previously planning on four days this school year, that would need to be made up due to inclement weather conditions including fog, ice and heavy snow. “To date we have had 11 two-hour delays and four days where we were closed due to weather,” explained Triton Schools Superintendent Ted Chittum. “We have used all of our four ‘built-in’ make up days.”
    But what happens when pre-scheduled, make-up days are all used up?
    They are made up beyond the pre-planned school year as the state requires that schools be opened and teaching, 180 days out of the school calendar year. That also means that the school must be open the required number of hours each day as well.
    Each Indiana school day must include at least five hours of instruction for students in grades 1 through 6 and six hours of instruction for grades 7 through 12. Schools not conforming to the rules may receive a heavy fine from the state.
    A penalty may be deferred however, if the school corporation requests a waiver and if the Indiana Department of Education (INDOE) allows for extraordinary circumstances. What about those days with delayed starts and early dismissals?
    School corporations are made accountable but delayed openings can be forgiven and considered a full instructional day (automatically) if school starts or is dismissed no more than two hours early or late any given day. INDOE’s decision is based on facts including why the school was closed, the dates the closures occurred, the total number of days closed and the number of area schools affected by the particular weather-related circumstance.
    Because of the fickle northern Indiana weather students from the Triton area are now expected to attend school on President's Day, Feb. 18; Good Friday, March 21; May 9 and May 23, which Chittum reminds: “is graduation day.”
    Triton’s school policy practices a regular, weather-related protocol. Each morning, determinations are made between Triton Transportation Director Kris Berger and superintendent Chittum who will check the roads, monitor weather reports and maintain contact with the state and county highway departments.
    A decision is made (no later than 6:30 a.m.), as to whether the weather is too dangerous for the transfer of students to the school and the media is notified immediately thereafter. Following those notifications, calls are made to Triton school administrators and the corporation office is notified.
    And then the calls come in from parents and caregivers. At Triton Jr. Sr. High School the inquiring phone calls begin about 7 a.m. but even at that, very few of the older students reach the school early when it is delayed. “Parents do a good job of not dropping their kids off early when there is a delay or cancellations,” explained secretary to the assistant principal and athletic director secretary Fran Fleagle. “Our class periods are shortened and lunches are at a different time and that usually messes some kids up the first day, but since it's been five days (this week) they’re pretty used to it.”
    She said that while some kids (like the junior high students) enjoy sleeping in and think the altered schedule is great, others, including the high school kids with the more difficult classes or those in special clubs that meet during the day are really missing the time they need in a normal class period. “We do not get to have ‘Activity period’ due to the shortened days so our various clubs are really hurting for there meeting time,” Fleagle added.  
    Once school is already in session, weather-related early dismissals are again based on weather reports, road conditions and determinations of the state and county highway departments. It was noted that any further “snow days” or days taken off due to unsafe conditions (beyond Feb. 8 ) are expected to be made up at the end of the year.
    Media contacts that parents can check in regard to cancellations include: WTCA/WNZE Plymouth Radio; WSBT South Bend (Sunny 101.5, Channel 22, WSBT-AM960, OLDIES 94.3, Cat Country 99.9 and all related Web pages); WNDU South Bend (Channel 16 and subsidiaries and Web pages); U93 (U93-92.9 FM, WNDU-AM1490, WJVA-AM1580, WHLY-AM1620) and the Web site www.cancellations.com.