After the major snow storm that shut down many New Jersey public schools for at least two days, the big question for students and teachers is how districts will make up missed time.
Most South Jersey districts reopened Wednesday, many with two-hour delays because of frigid temperatures and icy neighborhood streets and side roads.
Winslow schools in Camden County remained closed for a third consecutive day, citing ongoing hazardous road and sidewalk conditions. The sprawling 58-square-mile municipality is one of the largest in New Jersey. Parents have complained in social media posts about icy streets and bus stop routes.
Meanwhile, Eastside High School in Camden was also closed due to icy conditions near the school, while the rest of the district reopened. Camden has many students who walk to school. The district said the day would be made up.
Late Wednesday, Davida Coe-Brockington, Camden’s acting state district superintendent announced that all city schools would be closed Friday.because of road conditions. She said the district plans to reopen Friday with a two-hour delay.
School officials consider factors such as road conditions, snow and ice accumulation, and readiness of the campus, sidewalks, and parking lots, said Haddon Heights Superintendent Carla Bittner. Her district used its only built-in emergency closing day.
“The safety of our students and staff is our absolute priority,” Bittner said.
With 50 days left of winter and the possibility of another storm looming this weekend, additional snow days may be on the horizon, further disrupting school calendars, parental work days, and vacation plans. And districts must still meet the state requirement of 180 school days.
How do districts make up snow days?
Some districts have days built into the calendar for the school year for inclement weather, or tack on additional days as needed at the end of the school year. The state leaves it to local districts decide how many days to set aside.
In Cherry Hill, where schools were closed for two days this week, the district will use days already designated as holidays. That means students will go to school Feb. 16, President’s Day and March 30, which was supposed to be the first day of spring break.
If needed, Cherry Hill would use March 31 to make up another snow day, according to Nina Baratti, a district spokesperson. Even with inclement weather days, the last day of school (June 18) has not changed, she said.
Haddon Heights will convert a March 13 in-service day for teachers into a full instruction day for students, according to its calendar. Additional days would be pulled from spring break in April if needed.
Woodbury Superintendent Andrew Bell said his district would use two days set aside for professional development for teachers to make up snow days this week.
How many school days are required?
The New Jersey Department of Education requires schools to be open for a minimum of 180 days in order to qualify for state funding.
The school year must align with the state’s fiscal year and end on June 30 or earlier. Most union contracts with local districts require schools to close by June 30. Districts typically try to avoid keeping schools open late into June, when unairconditioned buildings can become unbearable.
According to Timothy Purnell, executive director of the New Jersey School Boards Association, the number of snow days also can be determined during negotiations between the district and union leaders.
What about virtual learning?
Like most states, New Jersey allowed virtual and hybrid instruction when the pandemic shut down schools. However, state law now strictly limits remote learning.
While Philadelphia and New York City shifted to remote classes because of snow closings, New Jersey only allows virtual instruction under limited circumstances, according to the state Department of Education.
School districts may seek approval for virtual learning for school closures lasting more than three consecutive days because of a declared state of emergency, declared public health emergency, or a directive by a health agency or officer ordering a public health-related closure.
