HAMBURG, N.Y. (WKBW) — Clean up efforts restarted for Thursday night, and as some of the hardest hit areas continue to shovel out, several school districts have closed for a fifth day in a row.
This includes Buffalo Public Schools, West Seneca, Orchard Park, Lackawanna and Lancaster Central.
The full list of school closings can be found here.
With many districts in Erie County having closed the entire week, questions are circulating over how many days districts have left in the bank, and how this will impact the rest of the academic year.
7News' Pheben Kassahun took these questions to and expert.
Other than the constant cycle of shoveling snow at the start of the morning this week, school districts have had to cancel lesson plans for the sake of keeping its students safe.
Typically, school districts like Hamburg build in about 3 or 4 snow days each year.
Many school districts like Hamburg will have run out of snow days by Friday, since school has been canceled yet again due to conditions.
Hamburg Central School District Superintendent Michael Cornell said, "We always think about the safety of our kids and our staff and families who drive their kids to school everyday."
Parents and teachers have wondered how this is going to impact the number of snow days, but fret not.
There is provision under New York State law that allows school districts relief from the 180 day rule, when districts cancel school pursuant to a governor's state of emergency.
The NYS Declaration of Emergency was implemented on January 12 and remains in effect until February 11. The official PDF can be read here.
Cornell explained, "We always make the decision based on safety but at least for the time being, we can make that decision absent the concern of losing state aid."
If some schools have not had to cancel due to snow, Cornell explains there is still another safety concern.
"There's just so much snow to move. You've got intersections in little villages with 15 foot high snow banks and you've got tunnels being cut through sidewalks and kids can't really see across the street on the way to school."
Kassahun reached out to NYSED for comment on the Governor's declaration and have yet to hear back.
