While some school board members joked there could be more changes to the school calendar as New England weather can be unpredictable, they did vote on Thursday night (Mar. 19) to officially set the final days of school after factoring in snow days.
The last day for students in grades 3-11 will be Friday, Jun. 19 and for students at Miller-Driscoll School, grades Pre-K through second, the last day was officially set at Monday, Jun. 22. Wilton High School seniors will still graduate on Saturday, Jun. 13.
Students at Miller-Driscoll School have to go an additional day due to losing a day in February because of a burst pipe.
While the dates would have initially pushed back the final days for students to Jun. 22 for grades 3-11 and Jun. 23 for Miller-Driscoll School with five snow days, School Superintendent Kevin Smith proposed that the board cancel the 181st student school day.
“When we get into the third or fourth week of June, we anticipate pretty low attendance,” Smith explained to the board. “Students, especially coming into that week of the 22nd are starting camps and whatnot.”
The board also voted to make Monday, June 22nd the final day for teachers in grades 3-8 while Tuesday, June23rd will be the final day for teachers in grades PK-2 and 9-12.
Smith said he was asked by board member Mark Shaner to consider asking the state Board of Education to grant an allowance for the district to end with fewer days than the required 180.
“And what I said to him was I did for about a second, because although they have that discretion, I’ve rarely, if ever, seen them use it,” Smith said.
Smith referred to a situation in 2022 when the district called for a remote learning day for students when Cider Mill School was impacted by a lightning strike.
“Even though we had a very worthwhile and valid remote learning day, we still had to make up the day,” Smith said.
The meeting wrapped up as board members, jokingly, said they hoped there would be no further changes to the calendar, noting the cold weather outside despite the sunlight lasting later into the day.
“No, we’ve got to be done,” Board member Pam Ely said. “We just have to be done.”