Madison School Has To Make Up Day Lost Due To Power Outage

MADISON, CT — Island Avenue School will have to make up a day it lost earlier this month due to a power outage, the schools superintendent said Friday. Students will report to school on March 9, which had been earmarked as a professional development day for staff.

Schools Chief Thomas Scarice explains in a letter why the day needs to be made up:

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Beginning on the day of the February 5th school closure due to a power outage, I began to inquire within the CT State Department of Education regarding the mandatory 180 school day requirement. After a series of communications it became apparent to me that Island Avenue School will be required to make up the February 5 school closure in order to comply with the mandatory 180 school day requirement. This would require Island Avenue students to attend school on June 21 while the rest of the district ends their school year on June 20, assuming no additional unplanned school closures.

However, an alternative was considered to the additional school day on June 21. March 9 is a professional development day for teachers, but not a school day for students. If students at Island Avenue attend school on March 9, there will not be a requirement to attend on June 21, they will dismiss for summer with the rest of the district on June 20.

After much consideration, it has been decided that March 9 will be a school day for the students of Island Avenue School only, thus allowing those students to end their school year with the rest of the school district on June 20.

We will provide regular transportation, cafeteria services, etc. and March 9 will be treated like any other typical school day for Island Avenue students only. Please note this change for your calendar.

Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools