NATCHEZ — On Monday the students of the Natchez-Adams School district will be heading back to class after an extended Labor Day weekend.

As a result of Hurricane Gustav the district’s students missed four days of classes.

But whether or not students will have to make-up those missed classes still remains to be seen.

District Superintendent Anthony Morris said state regulations require students to have a minimum of 180 days in the classroom.

And that 180-day schedule leaves no room for unexpected circumstances.

“We don’t have any built-in weather days in the calendar,” Morris said.

The Mississippi Department of Education’s Chief Deputy Superintendent Martez Hill said the decision to make up the missed days essentially rests with the individual district.

Hill said once a state of emergency has been declared, the district has the ability to petition the state department of education to allow the district not to make-up the missed days.

Basically the district can ask the state to allow them to skip the missed days.

However Hill said most districts elect to make up the days.

“They have to decide what’s in the best interest of the students and the teachers,” Hill said.

Once the district has made a choice, Hill said the state will then evaluate their request.

“It’s done on a case by case basis,” he said.

Morris said the Natchez-Adams School Board has yet to discuss the matter and their next regularly scheduled board meeting is not until next week.

Morris said aside from missed classes, the district’s weathered the storm very well.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” he said.

Morris said after seeing the damage sustained by the county, he thought the district’s buildings would have sustained heavy damages.

However, Morris said only a few schools received minimal damage.

Of that damage Morris said most came from water that blew in under doors and minor roof leaks.

“It isn’t anything our maintenance crew hasn’t been able to address,” he said. “We’re extremely fortunate from that standpoint.”

Morris also said the district was fortunate because they lost very little food, less than $1,500 worth, as a result of power outages.

Morris said nearly all of the district’s food was served to evacuees sheltered at the Steckeler Multipurpose Center.