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Huntington among schools canceling midwinter break



By JOHN HILDEBRAND john.hildebrand@newsday.com
Huntington's seven-member school board voted unanimously Monday night to cancel the district's entire five-day midwinter break, as the number of Long Island school systems seeking to make up class time lost to superstorm Sandy continued to climb.

Copiague's district also called off its entire February break Monday night. East Williston decided to cancel three of the five days in its midwinter break.

Elmont, Hewlett-Woodmere and Rockville Centre all are scheduled to meet on the same question Tuesday night.

Already, seven districts have announced plans to call off all or most of the midwinter break: Cold Spring Harbor, Freeport, Harborfields, Locust Valley, Middle Country, Roslyn and South Huntington. Mineola has canceled two days of the break.

Elsewhere on the Island, many districts are holding off making a decision until later this month, saying they want to see if the state will grant waivers from its required 180-day academic calendar. However, Huntington Superintendent Jim Polansky said he was convinced Albany would stick to the requirement.
"It has been made clear to me and my colleagues that no waivers will be granted until all available vacation time has been used," Polansky said.

Albany has so far made no specific promises of waivers, saying the law requires districts to exhaust vacation time first.

"If the state were to offer a waiver, then we would reconvene and discuss it," said Amelia Brogan, president of Cold Spring Harbor's board. "I think it's a very difficult thing for parents. We have some people who canceled trips and can't get refunds."

Elsewhere, some board leaders said that winter vacations, once canceled, will probably be lost for the year, because parents will not have time to juggle their schedules. Those leaders note that state lawmakers, who have the authority to grant waivers, will not go back into session until after the first of the year.
"That doesn't give you enough time to notify parents," said Jim Kaden, president of South Huntington's board, which voted last week to cancel four days of midwinter break.

Schools shut down across Long Island for periods of two to 12 days in the storm's wake, disrupting classes for more than 450,000 students.

Veteran school administrators on the Island described the loss of class time as unprecedented for the region.

In surveys Monday and last week, Newsday identified at least 11 other districts that plan to discuss possible cancellations of all or part of the midwinter break. More than 40 districts have either called off some winter or spring vacation days, or plan to discuss it.
Reaction: 
at 11/20/2012 08:12:00 AM

18 comments:

  1. We should have cancelled conferences at the elementary school today and tomorrow and had kids attend a full day.
    I think most teachers would agree that a better plan could have been put in place.

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    1. Conference time is very important. However I do hope the Administration and the BOE will look for ways to offer evening conferences in the future. This is not a community where there are alot of stay at home Moms or Dads any more. The District needs to accomodate the population it serves. Canceling the conferences would not have changed the need to make up the missed days. The district was already credited with an attendance day for each of the conference days.

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  2. I think the board of Ed. should cancel February break or find another way to make up the time. The students need the time in the classroom, especially the H.S. students who will have regents and A.P. exams at the end of the year.

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  3. I don't think canceling winter break is a good idea though because so many students will miss (since their families already have plans) that the teachers won't do any real teaching.

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    1. At least there will have been official school days. If parents choose to keep students home, it's their choice and the school cannot be blamed.

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    2. There is no good option. As a teacher, I wish there was a way to make up the time. The state isn't pushing back the dates of the assessments or the regents exams. That means I have 7 fewer days to teach what I had insufficient time to cover in the first place.
      Families will still go away, and some might even keep their kids home because of the perception that " teachers won't do any real teaching." I can't afford to waste another week. If the school is open,I'm going forward. But that puts me in the position of having to catch up all of those kids who missed school for whatever reason. Is that fair to place that burden on me, and other teachers?
      And to say "It's their choice and the school can not be blamed." Just ignores reality. Do you really think a teacher would get away with saying, You missed it, you're on your own."?
      Ihave no problem making up the days. I need them. I just think it's not going to accomplish what it should.

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  4. You're absolutely correct no good answer. My child is in HS and needs those extra instructional days. It's a choice not a great one but families should have the option!

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  5. I wouldn't write this blog off just yet....Wait till budget time. I am glad that the things this blog used to highlight as issues in our schools, are being addressed. Kudos to the BOE, Dr. Bossert and the school Administrators for fixing some of the things that have LONG needed fixing!! Everything is not perfect and probably will never please everyone, but we appear to be headed in the right direction....FINALLY! This blog has brought about some good over the years. Very hard to find things that are all bad!!

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  6. Amen to that! This blog deserves a ton of credit for pointing out some of the ills that ails are school district.
    There is still a lot of work to be done.

    LIke, when is the NEW administration team of the school district, particularly in the MS going to address the problem with lousy teachers?

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  7. I'd like to know what this district administration is waiting for also. It's a joke, administrators go into classrooms and the teacher straightens up. Kids are joking about it. Just this past month the superintendent went into an English classI and the kids said it was the first time all year that the teacher taught anything. Bet the super wrote the teacher up as "superior".

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    1. Give the guy some credit.

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    2. Absolutely there have been some real changes in this district. There is more accountability in a lot of area. The curriculum and implementation of curriculum is still a huge problem. There are some amazing teachers who don't need their hand held to do the right thing but there are a lot of problem teachers who's classes are a complete waste of time.
      That needs to be fixed and if anyone thinks it's being fixed by going in to a classroom once or twice, they are mistaken!

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    3. "In a letter sent to parents on Nov. 20, Smithtown Superintendent Anthony Annunziato first revealed his plan to restore school days to prevent a loss of state aid."

      All is done for the children!

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    4. ...and anyone who thinks the state mandated evaluations (APPR)will do any good is even MORE mistaken. What a joke. The politicians have everyone fooled into thinking that they've accomplished something. They've accomplished NOTHING....less than nothing. They've actually made it WORSE. People think "Something is better than nothing?" well not THIS something...And there has been an evaluation system in place. I agree that bad teachers need to go. That should be the responsibility of administrators to get rid of them when they can by not granting tenure so easily, document poor performance, build a case. I'd even support an expedited removal process so it's not prohibitively expensive to get rid of a bad teacher.
      Leave the rest of us alone to do our jobs instead of treating us ALL like deadbeats. There are many, many, more caring, competent teachers than bad apples. Stop painting us all with the same broad brush...and stop believing everything the politicians tell you.

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    5. Everyone would LOVE to leave the caring, competent teachers alone. But your union treats every teacher the same! The mantra from your union is that all teachers are fabulous and deserves legal representation regardless of their competency.
      Some of us are sick and tired of these lousy teachers getting away with doing absolutely nothing year in and year out. Everyone including other teachers know who is competent and who is a complete incompetent.
      Couldn't agree with you more that this APPR is a joke, nothing is going change. I like Bossert, but I do not believe he has the fortitude to attempt on making things uncomfortable for the lousy teachers. And unless that happens this district will not be able to truly move in the right direction.

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  8. Just read calender change email, Why are we giving back six days when we only lost five?

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  9. Where are the principals on their 100 day plan?????????

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