KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The school year has just begun and already some districts have let out early due to the heat. Does this mean the class calendar is already behind? And will students have to stay in school longer this year? Good Question.
Schools are back in session. By Labor Day all metro school students will be back in class, but for some they have already started and stopped because of weather.
"The first two days for us were unfortunately early dismissal due to heat days," Kansas City School spokesperson Cynthia Wheeler-Linden said. Not all of Kansas City schools have air conditioning.
"There are a couple of extra days built into the schedule for snow days and things like that," Wheeler-Linden said.
Back in January 2007, ice and snow delayed area schools for days. That went over many districts budgeting calendar, and districts were forced to extend their school year. State and Federal laws require a minimum number of school days.
Some wonder if letting students out early due to the heat will affect those rules. “The students were only released three hours early, so it doesn't count as a full day," Wheeler-Linden said.
Federal education law allows four hours as a minimum full school day.
Some districts don’t have to worry about the heat. All of Shawnee Mission Schools are air conditioned, but they still factor in at least two days for inclement weather. Last year they had to extend their school calendar after winter weather.
Some districts have buildings with air conditioning, and some without. But they can’t keep just the air conditioned students in class because school administrators say buses are kept on a tight schedule that would not allow them to pick up some students hours ahead of others.
