Ottawa Township High School students are now officially to be in school during some upcoming holidays.

The OTHS Board conducted a public hearing Wednesday morning, a step needed to allow students to be in class on Veterans Day, Abraham Lincoln's birthday, Casimir Pulaski Day and Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.

Following the hearing, the board voted 6-0 to allow students to be in school those days, with Dr. Don Morehead absent. The district will recognize the meaning behind each of the holidays when the students are in school.

The days are now to be attendance days to make up for educational time lost due to the teachers' union strike that began Sept. 30 and ended Oct. 26.

One member of the community present at the hearing asked for clarification as to what the waiver was for; another member of the audience asked if the board considered adding days to the end of the regular school calendar.

Under the district's plan to make up days lost due to the strike, five emergency days built into the calendar at the end of the school year will be used for student instruction and allow graduation to take place, as planned, on Friday, June 4.

Students also will be in school for two days previously planned for Christmas break and will be in school all of spring break except for Good Friday, April 2.

Interim Superintendent Matt Winchester previously said any snow days or other emergency days that occur during the remainder of the school year will be considered "act of God" days and will not need to be made up.