Some school systems in Alabama are bracing for a tropical storm or a hurricane to make landfall by cancelling classes in some cases.
Thanks to a law passed by the state legislature in 2011, schools will not have to make up lost instructional days or hours.
"If they miss some time whether it's a half day or a full day or three or four days of schools because of the impending weather then all they have to do is send a letter to the state superintendent requesting that time be waved and the students don't have to make the time up" said Dr. Eric Mackey, the Executive Director of the Superintendents Association of Alabama.
The exception only applies if the governor declares a state of emergency. Gov. Robert Bentley made the declaration over the weekend, days before then-Tropical Storm Isaac would make landfall on Alabama's gulf coast.
Lawmakers passed the bill in the days immediately following the April 27 tornadoes. Once state officials, senators, and representatives realized the impact the storms had on schools, there was a push to offer schools flexibility after the storms.
"It's all about safety" Mackey said.
Rep. Ed Henry (R – Hartselle) supported the measure when it passed through the Alabama House of Representatives. He said, "It was designed to help schools right after disasters."
The law isn't a free pass for school systems to cancel school at any point.
If a school superintendent authorizes a school or an entire system to cancel an entire day or part of day, the superintendent is required to submit a plan to the State Department of Education detailing how the time will be made-up.
The law allows for schools to add additional days or to even add minutes to existing days over a period of time to make up the instructional hours or days.
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