MCDONALD COUNTY & JOPLIN, Mo.–Wednesday’s wintry weather didn’t come in full effect until a few hours after what would have been a normal school day.

Many area superintendents made the decision early Wednesday morning to have students stay home.

While some had an “AMI” day, others had a snow day…it all comes down to the numbers.

“So AMI is an alternative method of instruction and it is approved by our state department that we’re allowed to have up to 36 hours of AMI in a school year”, said Sarah Mwangi, Assistant Superintendent of Learning Services for the Joplin School District.  “So different districts take different approaches, there is a minimum of 1,044 student hours that you have to have in the state of Missouri for a school year.”

The Joplin school district used the weather as an AMI day, so students wouldn’t miss out on anything. The third of five they can take per year.

“So we are on our third AMI day. we have two more after that we could utilize and different activities with students from home that they will complete and turn into their teachers for credit for their learning”

In Mcdonald County, they’ve used many of their AMI days amid Covid spreads 

“A couple of AMI days were used for the weather. the others were also used for when covid had the spike. and many of our staff and students had been sick. we used those AMI days to make up for some of those days that we didn’t go to school,” said Ken Schutten, Media Communications Coordinator for McDonald County Schools. 

Now, they’re using Wednesday’s weather as a “snow day”, meaning eventually, it will need to be made up.

“The administration will look at the calendar and figure out the best way on how to make these days up and look at the days that we have left and try to figure that out,” Schutten said.

In the end, it’s all about the best way to keep students and staff safe.

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