Schools Run Out Of Snow Days, Conferences Delayed

By Tanjua Damon

After this week’s snow storm, householders restocked their pantries, retailers restocked their shelves, and the town’s highway department restocked its sand and salt supplies. The school district, however, had completely used up its supply of snow days.

Two days of school cancellations brought the snow day count to five for Newtown students, leaving them no room for any more days off because of inclement weather for the school year. More snow, however, was forecast for Friday. Superintendent of Schools John R. Reed said the school board would look at the issue at its meeting next week on Tuesday, March 13.

The 2000-2001 school calendar given to parents at the beginning of the school year states, “If the schools are closed because of weather or other emergency beyond five days, those days may be made up with days taken from the April vacation.”

Although the ultimate decision has to be made by the school board, Dr Reed feels any additional days off would be added to the end of the school year.

“We have been closed for five days,” Dr Reed said. “My personal inclination would not be to do anything with the April vacation.”

If the district had reached its maximum snow days early in 2001, taking the days off from April vacation may have been a more favored choice, but since the days off have happened later in winter, many families have gone ahead and made plans for the April vacation.

“It depends on when this happens,” Dr Reed said. “Many people have plans for April vacation. Some can get money back, some can’t. You get into so many problems when you get into vacation.

Newtown students had a snow day during the middle of December 2000, but did not have any during January. Then another big storm hit on February 5 and 6 that gave two more days off from school. Storm Emily finished off the maximum days March 5 and 6 just a month after the February storm.

“This is a psychological downer,” Dr Reed said. “The thing about the duration really put a strain on the highway department and on a lesser degree, our own people.”

Not only did the storm use up the remaining snow days, it delayed parent/teacher conferences scheduled for this week at the elementary schools and high school.

Elementary school students were supposed to have half days Monday and Tuesday so that their parents could receive progress reports from their teachers. The elementary schools will make up the two lost days on Monday, March 12, and Tuesday, March 13, according to Dr Reed.

High school parents were scheduled for conferences on Tuesday, March 6. The high school will make up the conferences on Thursday, March 15.

Middle school students also have conferences scheduled for the week of March 12, according to Dr Reed, which will remain as scheduled.