Independence students benefited from the winter weather with five snow days in January, including three this semester on the 15th, 20th, 23rd, 26th, and 27th. Both staff and students enjoyed the break from school.
Although Independence only had two official snow days, the school was closed due to cold weather with windchills below -15 degrees for three days. Snow accumulations also delayed the 3rd day of midterms and altered the start date for the second semester.
Superintendent Kelli Cogan said she is careful when deciding to close schools. In an interview with WKYC, Cogan explained that she considers several factors, such as how neighboring districts are operating, how clear the roads are, and how quickly neighboring cities are clearing their roads for staff who travel from farther away.
Cogan emphasized that the decision to close school is made the day of and will only be considered once temperatures drop below -11 degrees with wind chill. Cogan further explained that this may not be the most convenient for all families, but the district must gather all the data before making the decision.
Students enjoyed a variety of activities during the five days off.
“I hung out with my family and studied for my last midterm,” freshman Evan Grassian commented.
“I caught up on some much-needed sleep,” freshman Emilia Mikolic added
Teachers and staff also enjoyed their time off, using the days for similar activities.
“I kept up with my regular meetings, lesson planning, and cleaned my house.” Mr. Mark Corpuz said.
“I had a movie marathon with my kids. Both my kids had their sports canceled, so we had time for some family bonding,” Mrs. Jennifer Mackey shared.
How many additional days could be missed this school year before having to make up instructional time? Cogan explained that the number of remaining days available is determined by hours of instruction and varies by grade level. For instance, the kindergarten year starts later in August than other grades. The school year for seniors ends earlier. Additionally, some grade levels have recess that can not be counted as instructional time.
Cogan provided the following calculations of days remaining by converting the hours left:
2025-2026 Days Remaining
- Kindergarten = 8 Days
- First through Fourth Grade = 12.73 Days
- Fifth and Sixth Grade = 24 Days
- Seventh and Eighth = 10 Days
- Ninth Grade = 17 Days
- Tenth and eleventh = 16 Days
- Twelfth Grade = 12 Days
