Danville Local Schools is committed to providing an educational experience that exceeds minimum expectations and reflects the high standards held by our students, families, staff, and community. The state now mandates minutes/hours and not days as it did several years ago. When that change occurred, Danville increased the number of allowable calamity days to 8 instead of the previous 5 days that the state set. Danville Local Schools believes that meeting only the minimum requirements does not fully serve the academic, social, and emotional needs of our students.
High levels of academic achievement require sustained instructional time. True learning is built through consistent classroom engagement, guided practice, assessment, and feedback. Reducing instructional days to the lowest allowable threshold limits opportunities for mastery, enrichment, and intervention. By making up calamity days, students receive the depth and continuity of instruction necessary to meet rigorous academic standards and prepare for future success.
Learning is most effective when students have regular, uninterrupted access to their teachers. Each day of instruction strengthens relationships, reinforces expectations, and supports active engagement in learning. Maximizing in-person instructional time enables teachers to more effectively address individual learning needs, differentiate instruction, and cultivate a positive and productive classroom environment. Schools play a vital role in supporting students’ social and emotional well-being. Daily routines, peer interactions, and trusted relationships with educators significantly contribute to students’ sense of stability, belonging, and growth. Especially for younger students, consistent time in school is essential for developing social skills, emotional regulation, and resilience. Making up calamity days reflects our recognition that education extends beyond academics alone. This is why, as the Superintendent, I will not recommend blizzard bags or remote learning as an alternative to making up lost instructional time due to calamity days.
Danville Local Schools believes it would be professionally immoral and unfair to students and the community to provide only the minimum level of instructional time required by the state when more is reasonably attainable. Our educators and administrators hold themselves to a higher standard. We want our families to entrust the district with their children’s education, and that trust carries an obligation to deliver the highest quality experience possible. Making up calamity days demonstrates fiscal responsibility, educational integrity, and respect for community expectations. This practice reflects our belief that time matters, relationships matter, and our students deserve every reasonable opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.
With that being said, the board of education approved amending the 2025/26 school year calendar by adding February 16th, March 13th, and April 6th as Calamity “make up” days. As of February 10, 2026, all students and staff will be in school on Monday, February 16th, and Friday, March 13th. If we have any further calamity days, we will also be in session on April 6th. But if we have more than one between now and March 30th, we will also make up days on March 30, 31, and April 1st as needed. Which is spring break. We will not make up days on April 2nd (Comp Day) and April 3rd. April 3rd (Good Friday) is a district-recognized holiday.
The goal with these amendments is to recover as much instructional time before spring assessments and also preserve as much spring break as possible. If students and families have already committed to vacations on the calamity make-up days, students will be marked absent and must make up the missed assignments. But as long as the student has not missed an excessive amount of school in addition to those days for one reason or another, there should be no concern for truancy. Therefore, a parent decides to take the student out of school on calamity make-up days for vacations, just as it is any other time of the year.
If you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 740-599-6116, extension 3229, or jason.snively@danvilleschools.org.
Jason Snively - Superintendent