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New Canaan Schools To Think Ahead For Weather Changes

NEW CANAAN, Conn. –The New Canaan Board of Education will have to take a hard look at changes to this year’s calendar as well as future school years, board Chairwoman Alison Beldua said.

The unusual weather the past two years will have the New Canaan Board of Education adjusting the 2012-13 calendar as well as looking at what can be done in future years.

The unusual weather the past two years will have the New Canaan Board of Education adjusting the 2012-13 calendar as well as looking at what can be done in future years.

Photo Credit: Melvin Mason, File

Bedula said school officials will have to make different plans for years ahead after losing multiple snow days before winter the past two years.

That may include looking at holidays the district already takes off, such as Veterans Day and Columbus Day. The district has already lost six school days because of Hurricane Sandy.

“We have to think creatively and be open-minded,” Bedula said.  “We’re interested in the input of parents, teachers, faculty and staff to find the best plan of action.”

The school board is expected to make amendments to the 2012-13 school year calendar next week. The proposed change would have the school year end on June 21, 2013, four days later than originally scheduled.

It would also make Feb. 15, originally a day off, a half-day for the district, allowing New Canaan to have 181 instructional days, one more than required by state officials. The second half of the day would be used for professional development.  If school needs to be cancelled again, the district would have a 180-day school year. 

Additional snow days would be made up by making April vacation days into school days. The entire April break would be lost if six more days are lost to snow or other bad weather. 

Bedula said the district chose to target the April break for potential make-up dates because many families already had plans for the February break, scheduled for Feb. 19-22 with schools closed on Feb. 18 for Presidents Day.

“The difficulty we have here is that it’s (close to) December and telling them two months from now that they’ve lost vacation,” she said. “We tried to come up with the least intrusive adjustment we can.”

A final plan for the 2012-13 school year will be voted on at the school board’s Dec. 3 meeting.

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