Feb. 10, 2011 - In a highly-unlikely-for-Texas turn of events, Leonard ISD students missed four days last week due to icy road conditions and snowy weather. Precipitation fell early Tuesday and closed school for the first day, and the next day - on Groundhog's Day - residents awoke to find the same thing, and again on Thursday. One resident eluded to the fact that it felt like they were living the movie "Groundhog's Day" during those four days. More snow fell Friday - a lot more snow in fact - for Texas at least - and kept the school doors closed. With temperatures not breaking the freezing point for that handful of days, it created hazardous road conditions for an extended period of time in the area, leaving schools with no other option but to close.

Despite fears from some parents that the students may lose their Spring Break to makeup the missed days, Leonard ISD Superintendent Larry LaFavers reported that hopefully - and likely - that won't be the case.

"We'll have to make up the two days that were designated for bad weather makeup - we are required to do that," said LaFavers. "But for the rest, we will submit a waiver to TEA after the winter weather season is over for the remaining days missed and hopefully they will grant us that waiver and we won't have to make them up."

LaFavers added that most schools in the area will have to follow the same procedure since they were closed for as many days.

LaFavers stated that in all his years in administration, he does not recall a time where the students missed that many days in a row at one time.

The makeup days on the school calendar for this year were April 22 and May 6, both of which will now be regular school days. However, since Friday, April 22, is Good Friday, school will be dismissed at 1 p.m.

At press time Tuesday, Feb. 8, more wintry precipitation was in the forecast for tonight, with some meteorologists predicting four to six inches in the Leonard area.