Franklin schools are asking the state to waive a requirement for them to make up a day of school that was cancelled due to a bomb threat.
A Franklin student called in a bomb threat to Franklin Community High School on Dec. 17, in the same week police found drawings threatening to shoot up the school. As a result, every Franklin school was canceled Dec. 18. Both Plainfield and Danville schools also closed due to separate threats.
Since a bomb threat is an extraordinary circumstance for school to be closed, Superintendent David Clendening has asked the Indiana Department of Education for a waiver that would allow them to not make up that missed school day.
Students are required to attend 180 days of class per school year, so children would have to attend class on Presidents Day if the waiver is not approved.
Schools can file a waiver for special circumstances that required them to close, from having a tornado go through a building or other extreme weather, Indiana Department of Education spokeswoman Samantha Hart said. Last year, the state excused school districts from making up days at school 30 times, typically for issues such as a power outage or a water main break, which made it impossible for students to attend class, Hart said.
The Indiana Department of Education does not have a deadline to approve the waiver request from Franklin, Hart said.
