With Major Storm Approaching, Westport Alters School Snow Days

WESTPORT, CT — With students under remote learning protocols on a regular basis, Westport Public Schools announced that the district is altering its snow day policies in an effort to avoid tacking days onto to the schedule at the end of the school year.

The changes, discussed in a message from Schools Superintendent Thomas Scarice to parents Monday, come just days before what is expected to be this winter's first major snow storm Wednesday and Thursday.

"In reviewing the parameters of our current school calendar, if there are more than four snow days this year, the district is required to use the April vacation as makeup days beginning on Monday April 12," Scarice wrote. "I would like to avoid encroaching on the April vacation, and I would like to ensure with some certainty that the school year will conclude by June 23 at the latest. Additionally, I may be a purist but I do believe that for most children, the experience of a snow day can be an unforgettable part of childhood and a unique opportunity for unstructured play."

In October, the state approved a plan to allow a remote learning day in lieu of a traditional snow days, according to Scarice. Traditional snow days must be made up at the end of the school year, but remote learning days are not required to be made up at the end of the school year.

As such, Westport will only allow up to three snow days that would have to be made up at the end of the school year in June, Scarice said.

"Any additional snow days beyond three will be remote learning days that will not be required to be made up in June," he said. "There is one additional day built in that will serve as a buffer in the event power outages require a school cancellation."

Additionally, the district will not have back-to-back snow days, if a storm is strong enough, or clean up is serious enough, to require a second consecutive day. On such an occasion, the second day will be a remote learning day, Scarice said.

"It is likely that we will experience power outages," he added. "In the event of widespread power outages we will have to cancel school if the roads are not safe. However, we will conduct remote learning in the event of minimal outages.

"Due to transportation issues, two hour delayed openings and early dismissals as a result of inclement weather will cancel either the AM or PM elementary session respectively."

Westport Public Schools' 2020-21 policy pertaining to snow days is as follows:

• No more than three snow days this year
• Remote learning will be conducted beginning with the fourth snow day
• An additional day has been built in beyond the three snow days to preserve April vacation and the end of the school year no later than June 23
• There will be no back to back snow days for the purposes of snow clean up on the streets
• There will be power outages, however, if the outages are minimal, we will hold remote learning days after three snow days
• A two hour delayed opening or an early dismissal will cancel the AM or PM elementary sessions