Salem Schools To Take 'Wellness' Day Off This Week

SALEM, MA — Salem Public Schools staff and students will get an extra "wellness" day off this week in an effort to ease the stress and anxiety involved with the past 20 months of the coronavirus health crisis.

Superintendent of Schools Steve Zrike proposed the extra day off during Monday's School Committee meeting, with the committee voting in favor and giving Zrike authority to determine which day it would be. The district conducted a poll of more than 1,100 staff and families with Zrike saying Nov. 12 was the overwhelming favorite for the extra day off.

Salem Schools are not in session on Veterans Day — providing a four-day weekend for students and staff.

"The current school year has brought with it multiple challenges for students and staff as they have balanced full in-person learning with the continued presence of COVID-19 and a rise in mental health concerns following more than a year of isolation," Zrike said. "We are incredibly proud of the resilience and perseverance of our community for continuing to focus on the needs of our youth as we navigate the impact of the virus.

"As you can imagine, these efforts have proven to be exhausting and it is important for us to carefully monitor the stress and anxiety of an educational community that has a high standard for excellence."

To meet the district's 180-day state requirement for school hours, the academic year will be extended by one day with June 15 now being the final day for most schools — Carlton's last day will be June 20.

"Our staff is clearly telling us that they need a 'pause' for both themselves and their students so that they can continue to deliver a high-quality experience for our students," Zrike said. "It is important that we listen to what our dedicated professionals are telling us and adjust our schedules and approaches accordingly."

Salem Schools will offer free childcare from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for families for which the late-scheduled day off presents an extreme difficulty. Zrike asked families with students in after-school care to first check with their provider to see if arrangements can be made there, if needed.

"We hope that our staff and students will take this time to put down their pens and shut off their devices so that they can spend time with their families and/or do something that brings them great joy and energy," Zrike said.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)