After the dangerously cold weather last week, courtesy of the polar vortex that hit much of the Midwest, Oxford Schools used the last of its allowed cancellation days when it declared the sixth of the academic year on Jan. 30. Then it called off school again the next day, and another on Feb. 6.

But, the school year might not have to run longer.

If the cancellation days were used with “good reason,” the district can request more from the state.

“We are allowed to request an additional three cancellation days which would not count against us from the state, providing we have a good reason for closing,” an email the district sent to parents on Jan. 31 reads. “This requires a request to the state superintendent for a special waiver. Please know that Oxford Community Schools will be asking for this waiver. The students’ safety is our number one priority and will always be considered first and foremost.”

Superintendent Tim Throne is optimistic Oxford will get those extra days, seeing as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency on Jan. 28, urging residents to stay indoors, and closed government offices from Jan. 28 through Jan. 31.

In that four-day period, Oxford Schools was also closed. But as they always do, the central office staff that works downtown reported to work.

“We are optimistic that we can get approval for up to three additional days,” Throne told this reporter in an email. “We have six days built into the calendar and we are pretty sure we can get approval for three more for a total of nine days. As of today, we have used seven. This still gives us a couple of days in case they are needed for the remainder of winter.”

Throne added that if the district is approved for those extra three days, it likely won’t receive more if it uses them up.

“We will cross that bridge if (or) when we get there,” he said.

Throne indicated he hopes to not have to call off school any more this school year, but will always put the safety of the students, parents and bus drivers who go out on the roads in the early hours of the morning before anything else.

“We know the weather has been difficult for our families in regard to child care when school has been called off,” he said. “We don’t make these decisions lightly. However, the safety of our students is always paramount.”