OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 1, 2011
Dear Parents,
A winter advisory has been issued by the National Weather Center for 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, February 1st through 1:00 a.m. Thursday, February 3rd. The weather forecasters are predicting accumulations of 12 to 18 inches of snow through Thursday morning. Unfortunately, these predictions have been coming to realization the past few weeks causing school closings across the Commonwealth.
The weather this season has been particularly challenging for the staff, students, parents and the community. The approved school calendar for 2010-2011 lists June 21st as the last day of school this year. As of today with the already documented four snow days, students and staff would not be able to be released for summer vacation until June 27th. The school year needs to end by June 30th, only leaving three potential days to use as snow days.
I have entered into conversations with the district’s administration as well as the teacher’s union leadership on how we will respond should we experience further school cancellation days. I will be meeting with other unions in the coming days. We will be closely monitoring this situation over the next two months.
As an immediate solution, I am recommending to the School Committee that we change February 9th from a no school day to an early release day for all students. This will alleviate the need to make up one of the already accumulated snow days. In order for a change in the calendar to occur, a special School Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, February 3rd at 6:00 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Office. This letter serves as notification that there may be a change on the calendar for February 9th, pending a vote of the committee.
The decision to close school in case of bad weather is not made in isolation. I am in contact with surrounding Superintendents, consulting most often as early as 4:30 a.m. Sometimes the decision to close school is made the night before a coming storm; at other times it seems more prudent to wait until the early morning hours before making the decision. I consult with Peter Evangelista, Supervisor of Custodial Services, who is in constant contact with the Department of Public Works to check the road conditions, sidewalks, and school grounds to determine whether we will be safely cleared in time for arrival and dismissal of students.
The education and safety of students is our top priority. Please feel free to dismiss your children at any time during the school day if road conditions deteriorate, following your school’s dismissal protocol. Historically, we have not closed school early during inclement weather as we respect families’ work schedules and daily responsibilities.
I feel certain that taking steps such as these will help us ensure the safety of students during the winter months.
Sincerely,
Joan Landers
Superintendent of Schools
