BENTON COUNTY — Students in northwest Arkansas have been out of school for a week. Snow and ice made roads unsafe for travel and Pea Ridge schools closed Monday, Feb. 7, for the fifth day.

“We’ll have to add it onto the calendar. We’re on the second day of spring break,” school superintendent Mike Van Dyke said Monday. “Last Friday was the second day of spring break (to be taken for a snow day). After that, we add it to the end of the calendar.”

Van Dyke said there are slick roads in the county and the city and he and bus supervisor Randy Easterling determined it would not be safe to get the children out on the roads.

“And, we didn’t think it would be safe for the parents to get out on the roads,” Van Dyke said.

The additional days of vacation for snow does not financially affect the school district except for heating costs, Van Dyke said, because teachers are contracted for a specific number of days of teaching the students.

Those days will be fulfilled.

As for basketball season, as of Monday afternoon, the high school teams were slated to play five games this week - two regularly-scheduled and three make-up, according to head boys’ basketball coach Charley Clark. The Blackhawks were headed to Berryville Monday afternoon.

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PEA RIDGE SCHOOL CALENDAR

Monday, March 21 - Snow day make-up

Tuesday, March 22 - Snow day make-up

Wednesday, March 23 -

Friday, March 25 - Spring Break

Monday, May 30 - No school, Memorial Day Friday, June 3 - Last day of school Rogers Public Schools

has yet to decide how to make up lost days due to inclement weather.

The district has five days

scheduled into the end of

the school year for snow

day make-ups, but has

already missed seven days as of Monday.

News, Pages 1 on 02/09/2011