The School Town of Munster has announced its revised and approved school schedule for students due to the August 11 derecho.
Using a combination of in-person make-up days, instructional minutes and state-approved waiver days, STM will cover the nine days students missed because of the storm, STM Communications Director Kim Peirick said in an email. The Indiana Department of Education approved two waiver days for STM to work with, she said.
“Five days are being made up in person by revising the 2026–27 school calendar and converting previously scheduled Teacher Professional Development Days and Teacher Workdays, when students would not have been in school, into regular instructional days,” Peirick said. “Two additional days are being recovered through the calculation of instructional minutes already built into the school day.”
Peirick added that STM chose to restore more instructional time than the state required even though the waiver process provides flexibility.
“We believe protecting meaningful classroom time is important to our students’ academic growth and success,” she said.
The following dates will now be full days of school for all students and staff: Wednesday, September 23 (previously scheduled as a Teacher Professional Development Day); Wednesday, November 11 – previously scheduled as a Teacher Professional Development Day; Monday, January 4 (previously scheduled as a Teacher Workday); Wednesday, January 27 (previously scheduled as a Teacher Professional Development Day); and Friday, May 28 (full day for the elementary and middle school students and staff).
More Top Picks Steelcase Think
Munster High School Students, meanwhile, will take their finals on May 27-28 and will follow a half-day morning schedule on both days, Peirick said. The last day of school for all students and teachers will be Friday, May 28.
Munster High School Students ended up having an e-learning day September 15 because of a power outage at the high school, but it shouldn’t count toward the revised schedule.
State law calls for students to spend 180 days in school, but the DOE can approve a limited number of waiver days for schools that have been significantly impacted, the Post-Tribune previously reported.
The Munster School Board of Trustees passed a measure paying employees for their time off because of the storm at its Sept. 1 meeting.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.