Odd reasons for school being closed?

[tinkermom23]

Wow! You guys have a lot of days off!

In Minnesota, I think public schools need to get special permission to start before Labor day. This is because the farmers needed their kids home to help with harvest as long as possible. Most schools around here are done the last week in May. It might have changed other places in the state but our school still does it this way.

We do have 3 "snow days" built into to schedule. At times we end up using more so we have school on the Mon. after Easter. If we don't use them all, we get out of school a day early in May.

Our school has been in the Football tournaments a few times and then we close school so everyone can go to support the team.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I know of two Catholic schools in my area that close for a week in order to set up for their big annual fundraiser...these events take place at the school and the classrooms/gym/auditorium are used for various purposes. Takes them a week to set up for a Friday/Saturday night event and then the rooms need to be completely cleaned up by Monday morning so the kids can come back...

Wow! The Catholic School I work at does this type of event too. We use the entire space on the first floor, every classroom, gym auditorium, halls cafes, you name it, we use it.

Our kids are only off on Friday. The event is Saturday, and clean up is on Sunday. This is a spectacular event and the school raise over 100k. I can't imagine that schools need to close down for a week. Seems silly to me AND by closing a week, that encourages family vacations - that in turn leads to less people attending the event.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

We always had off the first day of deer hunting season growing up.
Now DD goes to Catholic school and barely gets any holidays off (usually only religious ones).

Our town schools do close when we flood but that, fortunately, doesn't happen often.

 

[stsomewhere]

Martin Luther King Day. Most schools around here are off.

 

[luvmy3]

Schools here were closed on Monday for Fair Day. They get a fair day every year.

We were closed on Monday too but it was because it was Columbus Day, which I personally think is a weird reason to have a day off.

 

[hereyago]

When Hurricane "Earl" was coming up the East coast. DD12's school had a 2 hour delay, but it wasn't bad outside.

However, another city which should have had their schools closed because they are so close to the water and low lying area and very prone to flooding, had to close on of the elementary schools, because water started to come in.

DD12's elementary school would always have a half day on Wednesdays, so teachers could do planning. What is funny is that it's only elementary schools in the district, not middle or high schools. I really could never see the difference in planning for elementary would be that more tedious then the other grades.

There are a few Teacher work days and staff development days. MLK day they have off, I really don't think he would have wanted for kids to be out of school for that, but oh well.

There is one half day that they don't say why. There is a half day this week, but for conferances.

Last winter, we actually had snow, which we are not equipped for, so the kids had 2 or 3 days off. some had to make up and some didn't.

 

[phorsenuf]

We were closed on Monday too but it was because it was Columbus Day, which I personally think is a weird reason to have a day off.

Lost Italian Day, as my husband refers to it.

 

[NotUrsula]

It's common of Catholic schools to get Assumption and/or Ascension if school is in session for them, but often they are not. (Assumption is Aug. 15th, and Ascension is the 40th day after Easter.) They also generally get All Saint's Day (Nov.1st) if it is a weekday, and also the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8th.)

One of the weirder religion-based reasons that I've encountered was some districts here in Missouri that close on Halloween (generally it's a teacher's workshop day, but it is deliberately scheduled) because of a widespread rumor some years back that certain children (blue-eyed blondes, specifically) would be at high risk for stranger abduction that day. Parents started panicking, so the schools just decided it would be easier not to have school that day, and the tradition stuck. (I say that this is religion-based because "Satanists" were supposedly going to be doing the kidnappings for ritual sacrifice reasons. Nonsense, of course, but for some reason it was very widely believed.)

Public schools in Missouri also sometimes get Truman Day.

 

[hereyago]

We were closed on Monday too but it was because it was Columbus Day, which I personally think is a weird reason to have a day off.

DD doesnt have it off, but that's ok. It is hilarious to have a holiday for someone who "discovered" a land that all ready had people on it.

 

[VickiVM]

All of the schools in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast close on Monday and Tuesday of Mardi Gras week.

Similarly, schools here in San Antonio close every year on the Friday of Fiesta Week for the Battle of Flowers Parade, which includes bands from schools all around our area. Most area businesses close or close early (including ours!!).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiesta_San_Antonio

 

[hereyago]

I do recall when I was in high school, that we actually got out of school early because: Someone put "skunk spray smeling stuff in the vents" , whew!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[minkydog]

All of the schools in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast close on Monday and Tuesday of Mardi Gras week.

I was about to say Mardi Gras. I grew up in Mobile (AL) and we always got the Mon-Tues off for MArdi Gras. And the opening of hunting season in the fall. Last year, we got a day off because the Georgia floods had flooded a few schools and backed up some sewers in others. Not to mention that just about every person I know had water in their basement, so all the adults needed to stay home and clean the basement. Pooh!

 

[Cindy's Mom]

It's common of Catholic schools to get Assumption and/or Ascension if school is in session for them, but often they are not. (Assumption is Aug. 15th, and Ascension is the 40th day after Easter.) They also generally get All Saint's Day (Nov.1st) if it is a weekday, and also the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8th.)

One of the weirder religion-based reasons that I've encountered was some districts here in Missouri that close on Halloween (generally it's a teacher's workshop day, but it is deliberately scheduled) because of a widespread rumor some years back that certain children (blue-eyed blondes, specifically) would be at high risk for stranger abduction that day. Parents started panicking, so the schools just decided it would be easier not to have school that day, and the tradition stuck. (I say that this is religion-based because "Satanists" were supposedly going to be doing the kidnappings for ritual sacrifice reasons. Nonsense, of course, but for some reason it was very widely believed.)

Public schools in Missouri also sometimes get Truman Day.

This must be regional, because again, at the Catholic School I work at and the one my kids go to, have school on those days. We all go to Mass on those days. Being off would seem wrong, because we know they won't observe it if they weren't in school.

OP - very interesting thread

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I know my mom's school was closed for several days to disinfect it after a MRSA scare...but that's not exactly "planned", just out of the ordinary.

 

[laurie31]

So other places don't get the Feburary winter break and the one in April for spring?? I have always lived in MA so I didn't know this was odd at all.

I thnk it's just New England that does that. I had never heard of it before I came to the DIS. We just get a week for Spring Break, but it's always in March.

We used to get off for Good Friday, but that stopped year ago. I guess it wasn't PC anymore. I think there are still places that getoff not nly on the Friday, but the Monday as well. In fact, I've heard of places that have Spring Break near Easter, but none of the schools I went to, or that my children attended ever did that. It would be nice though, but the way Easter moves around, I'm not sure how it would work.

 

[hereyago]

That is an odd thing about New England instead of one spring break, most schools get a Mid Winter Vacation (February - President's Day Week) and Spring Vacation (April - Patriot's Day Week).

/QUOTE]

You have a mid winter break? We have, Easter break, Thanksgiving break and Christmas break. Interesting.

 

[tinkermom23]

I thnk it's just New England that does that. I had never heard of it before I came to the DIS. We just get a week for Spring Break, but it's always in March.

We used to get off for Good Friday, but that stopped year ago. I guess it wasn't PC anymore. I think there are still places that getoff not nly on the Friday, but the Monday as well. In fact, I've heard of places that have Spring Break near Easter, but none of the schools I went to, or that my children attended ever did that. It would be nice though, but the way Easter moves around, I'm not sure how it would work.

We are off for Good Friday and usually, Easter Monday. That's it. No Spring Break or Winter break. We call it Easter vacation.


Another vacation is what we used to call MEA. It was Minnesota Educators Assoc. or something like that. It's called something different but we all still refer to it as MEA. It's always the third week in Oct. and we get Thurs. & Fri. off. I have a good friend who goes to Disney almost every year during MEA. Yes, she's leaving this weekend.

 

[simba20]

Growing up in Savannah, GA if St. Patrick's Day fell on a weekday, we got it off. Reason, most schools and kids are IN the parade.

I believe we also got a fair day -- usually was on a Wednesday -- free admission tickets would be passed out ahead of time, and teachers had a workday.

Now because Georgia does not have the road equipment to deal with snow, if it snows or heavy ice is predicted, schools will close.

 

[mdsoccermom]

Schools in Frederick County, MD get off for Fair Day. It's a heavily agricultural area and that was a tradition that was started to allow kids to show their animals at the fair.

 

[tinkermom23]

Schools in Frederick County, MD get off for Fair Day. It's a heavily agricultural area and that was a tradition that was started to allow kids to show their animals at the fair.

When is this? Our County fair is in July and the State fair ends before school starts.
I'd love to get off school for a fair!!!