February Vacation is On But April in Doubt

While area school districts are cancelling or thinking about cancelling February vacations to make up for the numerous snow days so far this year, that won't be happening here, according to the superintendent of schools.

"We are on day number eight and I still have my wits about me," Supt. of Schools Fran Rabinowitz said Tuesday. "It's really been a very trying time."

By state law, schools have to be in session for 180 days a year. The eight days already lost to snow will be made up at the end of the school year, Rabinowitz said.

"We have on our school calendar and in our teacher's contract an agreement that we will make up all the days we possible can up until and including June 30," she said. "As of right now, we have two more days available in June."

School was scheduled to end on June 16, leaving a total of 10 possible school days between then and June 30. So as of Tuesday, school will go until June 28.

If between now and the end of winter there are more than two more snow days, those days will be made up during the April vacation scheduled for April 18-22, Rabinowitz said.

"In the school calendar and in the teacher's contract, when we have exhausted the days in June, we then begin to make up days during the April vacation starting from the beginning," she said. "The February vacation will go on as planned.

"Because of the horrible weather, it's appealing  to take back the February vacation," Rabinowitz said, "but I don't feel I can responsibly do that given the fact that it is in the contract with the teachers [that the days would come from the April vacation] and that it is what we told parents we would do in the calendar.

"Parents and staff may have already made plans because we never said we could take off the February vacation," she said. "But I'm hoping it won't come to that."

It's inevitable that the snow days are going to take a toll on the education process, she said.

"I think it will have an affect on students but I don't think there is any way to prevent that," she said. "We have a great staff who will do whatever they can to make up time, but the lack continuity in teaching and learning will have an effect, especially for the younger students.

"You can't go to school for a day and then miss two days and come back and expect them to remember everything you said," she said. "When you have school on Monday and then come back on Thursday it's very hard, especially for the little ones, and it calls for a great deal of repetition."