Schools Consider Options, But Hope Snowfall Is Over

A change in weather patterns early this month may save Southington schools from needing to make any changes in their calendar, but that hasn’t stopped the Board of Education and School Superintendent Joseph V. Erardi Jr. from planning ahead to prevent a problem.

With school in session today and vacation scheduled during the last week of February, the last day of school is tentatively scheduled for June 23 entering March and Erardi said the Board of Education would have a better idea at their first meeting on March 10 what, if any, adjustments need to be made.

“There’s just no easy solutions to this other than to have it stop snowing,” Erardi said. “If we continue to see problems after February vacation, then April break could be compromised.”

There are still five days available for the school district to use before meeting their limit of June 25, but board members expressed concern that going too deep into June would mean sending students to school in boiling temperatures.

If the district did need to use April vacation, an agreement has been reached to minimize the affects on teacher vacations but starting with adding a day on Thursday, April 21, and moving backward during the week as necessary.

Teachers who already have travel plans will be allowed to keep them, Erardi said.

The unusual January has also taken a financial toll on schools, with Director of Operations Fred Cox reporting that the schools had spent $35,000 as of last week on snow removal from roofs. Both Cox and Erardi said the removal is a necessary safety precaution.

Inside all the challenges this winter, the cold has caused some good: attendance is at a high for this time of year because the cold and days off have helped prevent a flu outbreak that has previously led to as many as 30 percent of students being sick at the same time, Erardi said.

Below is a list of all delays and cancellations this winter:

Friday, Jan. 7 – early dismissal due to snow
Wednesday, Jan. 12 – no school due to snow
Thursday, Jan. 13 – no school due to snow
Tuesday, Jan. 18 – no school due to snow
Wednesday, Jan. 19 – late opening due to ice
Friday, Jan. 21 – no school due to snow
Tuesday, Jan. 25 – late opening due to snow
Wednesday, Jan. 26 – early dismissal due to snow
Thursday, Jan. 27 – no school due to snow
Friday, Jan. 28 – late opening due to electrical issues; Derynoski Elementary School only
Tuesday, Feb. 1 – no school due to snow
Wednesday, Feb. 2 – no school due to snow and ice