Students always enjoy a spontaneous day off from school, but those days come at a price.

In years gone by, school calendars included emergency closing days that if unused meant getting out early in June, but current school calendars are built to the required 180 school days only.

That means when an emergency closing day takes place, another day has to be added to the school calendar.

Although winter – traditionally the time when school closings happen, due to snow – hasn’t even arrived, Ocean City and Sea Isle City schools find themselves having to add days to the calendar already.

Ocean City has had to add one, and Sea Isle has already had two days of emergency closings, all for flooding.

The most recent day off, Nov. 12, just shortened the President’s Day weekend break for Ocean City students. Students were previously scheduled for a half-day on Feb. 11, and then a four-day weekend.

Now, they will have a full day on Feb. 11, a half-day Feb. 12 and a three-day weekend.

If there are more emergency closing days, the next two days to be added would be June 18 and 19. After that, spring break would start shrinking.

Students in Sea Isle City already have two days to make up, from Sept. 11 and Nov. 12. Like Ocean City, both closings were for flooding.

Interim Chief School Administrator Dr. Michael Schreiner said the first closing, Sept. 11, has shortened the Christmas break by a day.

Previously, the students were to have a half-day on Dec. 22, with the winter break beginning Dec. 23. To make up the day lost Sept. 11, Dec. 22 will now be a full day and Dec. 23 a half-day.

Schreiner said the make-up day for the Nov. 12 closing has not yet been determined.

“I haven’t made any suggestions yet. I will do so to the board when we get deeper into the winter,” Schreiner said Tuesday. “If we only have the one day to make up, scheduling it is easy. If there are more make-up days, due to the weather, it is easier to package those together. We have some in-service days for our staff in the calendar, that are flexible for us.”

He said he would decide the make-up day or days in late February or early March, after the normal snow season had passed.