Shortened spring break for students with five snow days to make-up
By Jayed Rahman
Published: March 10, 2014
City teachers must make-up six days of school due to the large number of snow closings this year; students must make-up five days.
“What it does is it details changes in our calendar because of make-up days or days we have to make-up because of the snow,” Donnie Evans, district superintendent, said on Wednesday of a plan he is circulating with more details on exact dates set aside for make-up.
Evans said when the district planned out its annual school calendar it included five extra days that would have been given to students and teachers as days off from school. These five days are being utilized to ensure students receive 180 days of school and teachers receive their contractual 185 days.
“If you look at the calendar itself, the original calendar, you’ll see five make-up days listed in the calendar, and we are utilizing those five days,” said Evans.
Out of the five contingency days two of them were designated for a small break from school for students and teachers. “April 24th and April 25th, this is extremely important to all our parents, which is the Thursday and Friday of spring break week will be school days because of the large number of days we have to make-up,” said Evans.
Spring break which starts on April 18th will be cut short by two days, ending on the 24th.
Teachers, who would have gotten out of school on June 26th, a day following the student exodus, must show up for work for a scheduled professional development day. “June 26th is professional development day for staff, June 27th is the last day for staff,” said the superintendent.
“There’s also couple of days in June prior to graduation that will also be make-up days,” said Evans. “June 25th, 2014 is now graduation day, last day for students.”
Correction: The original article stated that there would be no spring break. It has been confirmed, that there will be spring vacation days — it will only he made shorter due to the excessive number of snow days the district must make-up.