ALPENA — State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, on Tuesday spearheaded the House passage of his plan to forgive ice-storm-related school closures, protecting Northern Michigan schools and students from mandatory summer school, according to a Tuesday press release. The bill passed with unanimous support, and it will now move to the Senate for further consideration.

“While no one is happy that this ice storm took our kids out of the classroom, extending instruction past the fourth of July is not an appropriate remedy,” said Cavitt in the press release. “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.”

Cavitt’s legislation, House Bill 4345, specifically addresses the 2024 through 2025 school year and would allow local school boards to waive up to an additional 15 days of instruction.

The school district must be located, at least partially, within a county covered by a state of emergency declared by the governor. Those 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 said in the press release. “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.”

Reagan Voetberg can be reached at 989-358-5683 or rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.