Lang
1/17/20
The Clear Creek Amana school board has sparked controversy by scheduling a snow makeup day for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day…a national holiday. The move came after classes in the district were cancelled Wednesday due to icy conditions. The district announced on its Facebook page that the originally-scheduled day off Monday for Dr. King Day would now be a makeup day.
The decision has enraged some parents and students, who say the decision is disrespectful. Many had already planned to attend Dr. King Day events and celebrations during the day on Monday, and many say they will still attend those events rather than attend classes.
District officials have defended the decision, saying a survey sent out in November mentioned the possibility of using Monday as a makeup day, but they received no negative feedback.
A petition calling for Clear Creek Amana to cancel classes Monday had over 800 signatures as of Thursday night.
The district has since added the following message to its web site: “We also understand and respect that families may have plans to commemorate the day with service to others. The District fully supports that choice, for this day, and for any holiday, religious or otherwise, that is important to our families. Anyone who won’t be in attendance at school on Monday should notify the building secretary of their attendance center and it will be an excused absence.”
The Iowa City district faced similar controversy in 2014 when it scheduled a snow makeup day for Dr. King Day. The school board later learned state law forbade it from later cancelling school that day because the altered schedule had already been approved by the board.