RESERVE — Students in St. John the Baptist Parish public schools will have five days added to the remainder of their 2005-2006 school year in order to make up some of the time missed because of Hurricane Katrina.

The State Department of Education recently approved the district’s make-up schedule, which proposes to recover five of nine days missed.

Most school districts affected by the hurricane received a waiver from the state department on making up all days missed because of the hurricane. Some districts, like St. John the Baptist Parish, had only a few days or a couple of weeks to make up, while others had one to two months to recover.

&#8220This plan allows us to make up important class time without affecting the student’s holiday schedules too severely,” Superintendent Michael Coburn said.

The make-up schedule includes making Dec. 21 a full day. Originally, students were scheduled for only a half-day of instruction on that date. Students also will resume class after the New Year’s Holiday on Jan. 3, rather than the previously scheduled date of Jan. 4.

Other changes include making Jan. 10 a half-day and March 1 a full-day for students. May 23-25 will be full days for students, and May 26 will be a half-day for students.

May 29 will be Records Day for teachers only. Originally, May 23 was a half-day, and students were not scheduled to come to school after that date.

&#8220This plan extends the school year by a couple of days; but such a plan proved more agreeable than eliminating additional holidays,” Coburn said.

The calendar changes also require some adjustments in test schedules. The remaining semester exams will be held Dec. 19-20, Jan. 6 and 9, and May 24-26.

For more information on school times, contact your child’s school or call the central office at 1-800-296-1106.