Will there be a spring break?

[Belle1962]

In GA, we are having to be furloughed 6 days this year. The last one they did was on a day that would have counted as a weather day (we had a ton of rain). I think my school board is hoping for more weather days so they can use them as furlough!! If anything, they will take our Spring Break days as a furlough or two. Dang economy!

And don't forget---the compulsory attendance law!!!!! Even if the schools needed to use spring break and parents said "too bad, we've paid so we're going" they risk that nasty letter from the school and possible social services interventions if the child has missed too many other days.

My renter is a teacher here in GA and she is worried sick about the furlough days coming one per month (they get paid once per month). Not sure what her financial situation is but her rent is $500 per month and includes all utilities except phone. If she had to take more than one day in the same month she'd probably need to be hospitalized from the stress!!!!!! And I really can't cut her any more of a break--her rent was $600.00 when she moved in but when she got transferred to a school further away this year I lowered her rent to make up for the extra commute costs she now has. Other than never paying her rent until the last possible moment (her late fee starts on the 6th so she pays the night of the 5th) she's an was an ok tenant so I compromised. Her lease is up for renewal in May and I am going to have to either raise her rent back up or ask her for 1/2 the utilities (she has gotten sloppy about the "prudent use" of utilities clause and is setting the heat to 74 and 75---her two week stay at home over the holidays raised my gas bill from a normal $180 to $320.) I agree with the sentiment "dang economy!"

 

[Hal Gurtner]

Probably there will be a spring break.

 

[mydisneykids]

We are in NJ. If we use up our six extra days they put aside they do start taking days off of spring break. That has only happened to us once and my daughter is in 11th grade.
We are far enough north that we, for once, have been spared a lot of the snow this year. As for Maryland, PA, and Southern Jersey, if that is how they handle their extra snow days, I could see some breaks being shortened.
That being said, we always go away during spring break, a cruise this year, and we would not let it change our plans. We are not going to cancel plans for one day added on to that week that only half of the students would be at anyway. If I was still teaching, that would be a different story.

 

[kaytieeldr]

What I think the Op's is asking is, with the bad weather around the country, and the closing of school's, once the aloment of days used for snow days is used up, will the kids be required to attend classes over spring break to make up the lost days. It is possible, but more likely, they would just add days to the end of the school year. This would have the possibility of messing up the start of summer break and the start of families vacations.

Okay, what happens here - Massachusetts - most years is, like New York (thanks, TomH), a number of snow days are built into the calendar. Here it's usually five. If for some reason we don't use them all, school ends earlier than indicated.

The more likely scenario is, we use MORE snow days than have been scheduled. Then there's a huge controversy over how to make up the days - extend the actual school day (nope - after-school activities, jobs, transportation...); eliminate/shorten April vacation (nope - people have made vacation plans, dangit, and they have NO intention of losing any cancellation fees); eliminate the teacher "in service", training, etc days (nope - they need that time); school on Saturdays (surprisingly, does actually happen in some cities once in a while); extend the school year beyond June 30 (nope - teacher contracts make this impossible); make a one-time ( ) exception to the 180 days requirement.

Who wants to guess what happens most years in most districts? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

 

[Chelley00]

Our school district and most of those around have a "Last Day of School" date on the calendar, but then there are 3-4 days after that listed as "possible snow day make up day." If we need to make up days, we extend the last day of school. They tell parents not to schedule vacations for the last week of school just in case.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I think our system builds in five days planned for snow. But if they don't use them, then they knock it off the last days of school. We really don't determine a last day of school until about April, when the snow really kind of decides to GO AWAY

Ah, you must not have been living here the year we had a snowstorm MAY 8th!!!!!!!

 

[WHIT1]

I live in NC and we have a few days built in. The school system I work for has missed 3 days so far and will have two teacher workdays change over to regular school days. Don't know how they will make up the other day yet.

DS's school has missed 4 days. They will lose President's Day and two days from Spring Break(already on the calendar as inclement weather days). I don't know where the last one will come from.

In NC, it is state law that schools have to dismiss on or before June 10. Most end ON that date, so we cannot add days to the end.

Thanks everyone for answering my question. It seems like the schools are still following the same rules as it was when I was in school. But in NC, I see its somewhat different. I always hated getting out later in June so I like their rule . Either way it looks like its not going to be a good year for families and vacations because of Mother Nature.

 

[sarahsmom73]

We live in Northern NY and have not yet used a snowday... There will be lots of us headed south for 2 weeks march - april

 

[flipflopmom]

SW mtns. of VA here. We've missed A LOT this year. Snow, ice, flooding, you name it. In the past, they took all but Good Friday and Easter Monday from us. New superintendent, now Good Friday, and Monday-Wednesday are protected. Thurs. and Friday of Easter week are GONE! Right now, our last day is June 3, we start VERY EARLY in August. We apply for waivers for the days the gov. declares a state of emergency, we have 12 make up days built into the calendar. I think today is day 12.

 

[kellyg403]

I live in NC and we have a few days built in. The school system I work for has missed 3 days so far and will have two teacher workdays change over to regular school days. Don't know how they will make up the other day yet.

DS's school has missed 4 days. They will lose President's Day and two days from Spring Break(already on the calendar as inclement weather days). I don't know where the last one will come from.

In NC, it is state law that schools have to dismiss on or before June 10. Most end ON that date, so we cannot add days to the end.

We do to. We have only missed maybe two days due to inclement weather. But in the past, instead of taking away spring break or tacking on the end, the kids have had to go to school on Saturday. That went over like a lead balloon! If we have hurricanes sometimes they have to close school the day it is scheduled to hit due to flooding and curfew. So, sometimes they have a school closing before anything even hits. One year, we even lost the first two days of Xmas break. We already were booked to leave for WDW. We had planned according to the calendar that was put out at the beginning of the year. So the kids ended up missing two days instead of none. But we weren't the only ones!

My guess is, even if they take some days off of spring break, there will still be plenty of families going to WDW and other vacation spots. Especially if it is already paid for.

Kelly

 

[micksterlee]

We live in the Asheville NC area and my daughter attends a county school.They have already taken two days off of the spring break and are saying they will take more if the weather continues to be bad.The city schools are holding Saturday classes instead of messing with Spring break.

 

[ValinWV]

In our county they only have a select number of days they can use for weather make up days. Sometimes we don't actually get all of our days in because of that. They just passed a new law for school districts that will allow them to take the spring break days and/or extend the school year to make sure we get all of our days in.

 

[PiperPizzaz]

The thing is even if they do shorten spring break the people that were planning on going to WDW will still go. I can't think of anyone who would say they would cancel their trip because the kid has a snow day to make up.

 

[iwrbnd]

In my town (Missouri) they don't ever take spring break. They will add on at the end of the year. But, then if we get too many snow days they don't make us make them up. There's some sort of grace law or something. We needed one more snow day for that to happen and we got it today!

 

[Gabes_mommy]

My newphew's school in Missouri has cancelled their spring break according to SIL. What a bummer for the kids and teachers.

 

[iwrbnd]

My newphew's school in Missouri has cancelled their spring break according to SIL. What a bummer for the kids and teachers.

Yikes, I've never heard of that and I live in Missouri! What town in your nephew in? Our trip is paid for and we're still going next month!

 

[Gabes_mommy]

Yikes, I've never heard of that and I live in Missouri! What town in your nephew in? Our trip is paid for and we're still going next month!

He's in Poplar Bluff. The school district there is crazy! Last year my grammy died and my brother and his family came to FL for the funeral and DNephew missed a week of school. His district made him go to summer school for a week to make up the days. He was only in 2nd grade.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

My kids haven't had any actual snow days yet this year. We've had some early dismissals and late starts, but no actual days off.

So I guess that depends on where.

Of course, WHEN spring break is ALSO depends on where...

 

[micksterlee]

I am glad we did not have a trip planned this year since there is no Spring break left.All days have now been used up for make up days and since the school has a strict policy on how many days you can miss there is no way I would pull my kid out for that many days.My daughter is a senior this year and missing days would not be acceptable to her any way.

 

[SafetyPinndSally]

I live in VA right outside Fauquier County, which is a county who gets out even if it rains too much sometimes, and they have missed a lot of school. I was speaking to a teacher who works for that county and she was telling me that they may have to shorten Spring Break and depending on if they miss any more days they most likely will have to go later in the year.

I don't know if this will have much effect on the Spring Break crowds, but I guess wishful thinking always helps.