Schools to Lose Most of February Vacation

NORWALK—Local public school students may not be cheering the snow so much after it blotted out three days of their February vacation as well as a day each in March and June.

By a vote of 7-1, the Board of Education on Tuesday voted to make up three of five required makeup days on Feb. 22-24, the heart of the vacation week. Schools will still be closed on the Feb. 21 Washington's Birthday holiday as well as Friday, Feb. 25.

The other two days will be made up on March 25, originally scheduled as a training day for teachers, and on June 22, extending the school year by a day. The training day in March has been moved to June 23.

The adopted plan was the second of two proposed by Supt. of Schools Susan Marks, who had stated a preference for rescheduling four days in February, on all but the holiday Monday.

“We’re not going to please everybody,” she said, as she presented her plan. Still, she said she believed it would make more sense to take time in February, with the approach of the Connecticut Mastery Tests in March, and also because the instructional routine has been so severely broken. “Our students need to be in school,” she said. “There’s just been too much disruption.”

But the dilemma on hand was on display at the meeting, as Lynn Massey, parent of a high school student, said teachers who would be out would not have sufficient time to prepare their substitutes. Besides, she said, citing the plans families have made, “it’s too soon.”

Meanwhile, Bruce Mellion, president of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers, said that he had heard of many more potential conflicts from teachers for changing the schedule in April rather than now.

He said arrangements could be made to accommodate those teachers who had unalterable plans or medical appointments.

Marks’ preference was scaled back to three days after Jody Bishop-Pullan, a board member, said she was concerned about the impact on students who couldn’t change their plans—particularly high-schoolers who would take Advanced Placement exams later in the year. Missing three days was bad enough, she said.

Bishop-Pullan noted that in the past Norwalk has tacked on its makeup days to the end of the year. But board members said they felt compelled to take make-up days now, especially since students might lose more time this year from more bad weather. It was pointed out at the meeting that a severe windstorm knocked out classes for a whole week last March.

The only board member present to vote against the motion was Sue Haynie, who said she preferred to use all four days. Migdalia Rivas was absent.

As for this week, Marks is optimistic that the weather will hold out. “I’m really happy that we might be having a full week of school,” she said.