Hoboken Schools Add 2 Days Due To Snow Closings, Reschedule Graduations

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken families found out this week when their kids will make up the two days of school lost to last month's blizzard.

By law, public school students in New Jersey must have 180 days of school, and remote learning doesn't count.

This year, Hoboken built one possible snow day into the calendar, but lost two days in February (when the city got hit with 23 inches of snow) and one day off in January. Thus, they need to make up the days to meet state requirements.

Schools Superintendent Christine Johnson said in a message Tuesday that the district could have made up the days during Spring Break at the end of March, or at the end of June, or both.

"Any of these options would understandably work better for some families than others," she noted.

She said that not enough staff will be available during Spring Break, so the days will be made up on June 22 and 23, a Monday and Tuesday.

June 16 and 17 will remain full days, she noted. June 18, a Thursday, will be a half day. Friday, kids will be off for Juneteenth.

June 22 and 23 will be half days.

Graduation Dates

Kindergarten and Fifth Grade Moving Up Ceremonies will remain on their originally scheduled dates in June, Johnson said.

The Middle School Moving Up Ceremony and High School Graduation will now take place on the last day, June 23.

HOPES and Mile Square Pre-K 3 and 4 Programs, along with the Preschool Disabilities Program, will also make up the missed days on June 22 and June 23, she noted.

Parent Questions Answered

Johnson included these notes in the message, to address parents' recent questions:

• Early dismissal days are considered full school days by the New Jersey Department of Education. Converting an early dismissal day into a full day does not offset snow closures.
• Schools will remain closed on Juneteenth. Juneteenth is both a contractual holiday under the teachers' union agreement "and an important observance reflecting our district’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion," she noted.
• Unlike New York, New Jersey does not permit remote learning days to count toward the 180-day requirement for snow-related closures.
• Elementary and middle school moving up ceremonies are not tied to the conferring of a diploma and may be scheduled flexibly. However, the NJ Department of Education requires that high school graduation take place on the final official day of school. Districts may not hold graduation before or after that date. Because Hoboken Middle School and Hoboken High School use the same rented equipment for their final ceremonies, the Middle School Moving Up Ceremony always takes place on the same day as the High School Graduation.
• The NJ Department of Education doesn't consider it an excused absence if a student misses the extra days for prior obligations like vacations or camps.
• A declared State of Emergency does not automatically require schools to close.

READ MORE: New Jersey Under Blizzard Warning