Snowstorm: Absent Boston Students to be Marked 'Constructively Present'

Boston Public School officials said that any student not in school today will be marked as "constructively present" - meaning the absence will be excused.

School officials did not close school today due to the inclement weather, and will dismiss on their normal schedules and school buses will complete all scheduled routes.

But all extracurricular activites including athletic events have been cancelled today.

Boston Public Schools posted a message on its Facebook page about students being marked "constructively present" and that an automated phone call was going out to all families about the decision.

“Our school staff, especially our Facilities teams, have done an incredible job today keeping sidewalks and driveways clear of snow even as the snow continues to pile up,” said Superintendent Carol Johnson via press release. “We know many families made their own decision as to whether to keep their children home and we want to honor those choices, which is why we will not mark these students as absent. In addition, we continue to monitor the forecast which indicates the afternoon commute may be more difficult than originally predicted. This is why we are going to cancel afternoon and evening activities. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding during this unusual storm.”
 
Families can call the BPS Transportation Hotline this afternoon to check on the status of bus routes. Operators can look up the real-time positions of school buses to give families a sense of when they will arrive. That number is (617) 635-9520.