District outlines how calamity days and online makeup hours would be handled if thresholds are exceeded

TROTWOOD-MADISON CITY — The district is tracking instructional hours closely after guidance from the Ohio Department of Education shifted makeup rules from days to hours, Superintendent Howard told the board on Feb. 5.

Howard walked trustees through a packet showing instructional hours provided by grade and the number of hours over the state minimum. He said some grade bands, particularly middle-school grades affected earlier by a water outage, are close to the allowable limit and that the district must be ready to add hours, add school days at the end of the year, or consider Saturdays if the threshold is exceeded.

The superintendent said the department’s bulletin includes a section (letter f) describing requirements for online instruction plans, and that the district did not submit an online plan at the time of the meeting. He cautioned that state reviewers are checking districts that claim online makeup but do not meet the required criteria, and said the district must produce a robust plan if it needs to rely on online hours.

Howard said he has already told parents that the district is close to the threshold and called the situation a legal obligation: “everybody has to understand that... we are legally obligated to meet these hours.” He added staff will collaborate with teachers, unions and administrators to determine how to add hours consistent with contracts and administrative constraints.

What’s next: Staff will continue to monitor instructional hours, develop a contingency plan for adding hours or days if required, and draft an online‑instruction plan only if necessary and compliant with state criteria.