Snow Days a Tricky Proposal for New London Schools

When the latest wintry assault descended on southeastern Connecticut on Tuesday, most schools were content to give their students a four-day weekend. Among the numerous delays and cancellations, stood virtually alone in proceeding as usual.

The decision bucked a recent trend of closings that has virtually given many students an extra vacation. New London cancelled classes last Wednesday and Thursday, holding only one day of school on Friday before the three-day weekend. There are also no classes taking place this coming Friday.

The decision did not sit well with all administrators. Anne Tortora, principal of , said crosswalks and street corners were dangerously icy this morning and that one teacher slid through a stop sign on her way into work. Though the school is private, it follows the schedule of New London Public Schools.

“If I had to make the call, we would have had a late opening,” said Tortora.

Jaye Wilson, principal of , said half of the students and about 10 percent of the staff did not show up on Tuesday. Wilson said she would have also preferred a delay. Some teachers returned home after determining that conditions were too dangerous to drive. The teachers that did arrive modified their lesson plans to do review work rather than new instruction due to the high absence rate.

“Early this morning it was very icy out, and because some other districts cancelled maybe they thought we wouldn’t have school either,” said Wilson.

Dr. Nicholas Fischer, superintendent of schools, said that while the safety of students is a key consideration in determining whether to cancel classes, there are other factors as well. Fischer said a snow day presents complications for single parents who are unable to get the day off. He also said 85 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced breakfast or lunch, and that a missed day could also amount to missed meals. Fischer said delays to the start of the school day are rare for this reason.

“Frankly, I try to avoid it, because that way a lot of our kids miss breakfast,” said Fischer.

Fischer said that the decision must also take into account what road conditions will likely be at the end of the day. He said the warmer temperatures and road work have helped to mitigate the ice that was present this morning, and also complimented for the safe bus transit this morning.

had a 25 percent absence rate. Tommy Thompson, principal of , said the school is in the middle of a semester exam period and managed to provide adequate coverage. The , which also typically abides by the public school schedule, opted to cancel classes.

At the , executive director Lloyd Johnson said he would have delayed the opening of school if he were making the decision. However, he said the magnet middle school is also a special case, since students are brought in from other towns.

“It’s always a challenging issue when the weather is worse in the outlying areas where your staff drove in from,” he said.

Students who missed school due to the weather will not be penalized, as it will be considered an excused absence. Fischer said the high school students will also be allowed to take their scheduled exams at a different point if they were unable to do so today.