Schools
UPDATE: Hamilton Primary Has to Make Up Another Day
The plan will make up for schools being closed after the October snowstorm.
Update, 1:30 p.m.—Because Hamilton Primary School was closed Wednesday after losing power due to a power station transmition line coming down in the early morning hours, another day will have to be made up by students.
To make up for two days off following the October snowstorm, and another day off Wednesday for power outages, students at Hamilton will have school Jan. 16, Feb. 17 and June 20, along with Eisenhower Intermediate and Van Holten Primary, while the rest of the district is closed.
This change is based on a plan approved at Tuesday's board of education meeting.
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5:00 a.m.
After holding the decision until all members were present, the board of education voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a plan that brings students in to four of the district's schools on Jan. 16 and Feb. 17.
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And two of the schools will probably have to be open for one more day at the end of the school year, all because of the power outages that closed the , , and after the October snowstorm.
The middle school and Hamilton were closed for two days after the storm, while Eisenhower and Van Holten were closed for three days.
Discussion about how to make up for the , and the board opted to hold the decision until all board members were present.
After discussing several options, the board was leaning toward what was dubbed as "Plan C," according to Superintendent of Schools Michael Schilder.
That plan puts make-up days for the middle school and Hamilton on Jan 16 [Martin Luther King, Jr. Day] and Feb. 17. For Eisenhower and Van Holten, make-up days will be Jan. 16, Feb. 17 and June 20, which is past the actual last day of school.
"That will be extending the school year by one day," Schilder said.
Schilder said he was hoping a decision about make-up days would be made quickly because of questions coming from parents and staff.
"There are many people asking, and they want to make plans," he said.
As for the make-up plan itself, Schilder said, if more snow days are needed besides the ones used for those individual schools, the rest of the district could use Feb. 17 as a make-up day, and the four schools would then have to make up the day on Apr. 2.
With this plan, board of education president Evan Lerner said, if there are no snow days used for the rest of the year, the district will be closed on May 29, except for those four schools. They will then not have to be open on June 20.
Schilder said it is all about ensuring the schools are all open for 180 days.
"June 20 is a dangling day," Lerner said. "It assumes three snow days for that day to be used."
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