By Alabama Public Radio
Mobile, AL – State Superintendent of Education Joe Morton says public schools that were shut down by Hurricane Ivan will have to make up for lost class days. He says Alabama law requires students to attend at least 175 days per school year for local districts to receive funding. Because of widespread power outages, school systems in Mobile and Baldwin counties are expected to miss about eight days. Morton says the missed days can be subtracted from Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring breaks or can be added on to the end of the school year. Baldwin school officials say they hope to open their 45 schools by next Monday. Mobile County school officials are still not sure when their 100 schools will be ready to restart. 60 percent of Baldwin County's schools now have power, as do 76 percent of Mobile County's. Meanwhile...many private schools are set to reopen Tuesday.