Brookfield School Scheds Weathering Storm Disruptions

DANBURY, CT — According to Connecticut state law, schools are required to be in session 180 days out of the year and no classes may be held in July. Normally that law is not very onerous, but this year, Mother Nature is making it difficult to comply in Danbury and Brookfield school districts.

These districts are preparing to ask the state Board of Education for a waiver of the required remaining school days considering they won’t be able to get that many days in before the end of June.

Despite cancelling a planned professional development day for teachers and running classes on Friday, Danbury figures it will still be a day short and will ask for a waiver, the News-Times is reporting.

In Brookfield, Superintendent John Barile reached out to parent via his Facebook page to explain their dilemma:

This means that this past Tuesday's storm damage resulted in having to cancel school for a total of 5 days. To meet the required state law of 180 days of school, our last day of school is now scheduled for Friday, June 29th. As I shared yesterday, I am in the process of requesting from the CT State Department of Education a one time waiver excluding Brookfield from this requirement for the 2017-2018 school year.

BHS Graduation remain scheduled for Saturday, June 23rd. Questions regarding high school graduation, activities and/or athletics should be directed to the administration or specific team. Our K-8 school principals are already developing plans to address the schedule implications for the many spring/year end activities

Waivers, however, are rarely granted by state, according to the News-Times, with the last time being to the Newtown school district after the Sandy Hook shooting.