Lawrence school board members will be assigning extra time in schools for students, teachers and staffers.

The only question now is when.

By the end of the month, board members will be expected to either lengthen school days or lengthen the school year to make up instructional time lost while students and employees were told to stay home Wednesday because of snow.

The four days that Superintendent Rick Doll already had called off classes earlier this year either will be made up as previously scheduled or not made up at all, thanks to latitude granted by state education officials.

But from Wednesday on out, any school time lost to weather delays or cancellations must be made up. And that either could be through additional minutes tacked onto each remaining school day, or by affixing a day or days onto the end of the academic calendar.

Mother Nature likely will have a say as well.

“If this is the only one (makeup) day, it’s easier to make the decision to add minutes onto the school day,” said Mark Bradford, the board’s vice president. “If there’s several more, I’d say, ‘Forget that; let’s look at a day or days to make that up.’ “

The board’s chance to decide whether to cut into after-school afternoons or shorten summer vacation likely will come during one of two remaining meetings this month: Feb. 14 or Feb. 28, Doll said.

Bradford is looking forward to hearing what Doll recommends.

“It’s a matter of talking with staff to see what’s best for kids,” Bradford said.

Doll, for his part, spent part of his day Wednesday checking snow and ice conditions at several schools’ parking lots and sidewalks.

He plans for classes and activities to be conducted as scheduled Thursday.

“I think so,” he said. “The side streets are clear, and staff’s done a good job clearing the parking lots and sidewalks. I think we should be good to go, unless something happens.”

Doll noted that snow had shown up in the forecast again, this time for Monday.

“We can’t catch a break,” he said.