Since Mother Nature didn’t play nice this winter, students in Bolton will have to stay in school even longer.
But extending the school calendar because of the snow raised concerns for some about the heat in the month of June.
Bolton Public Schools had 10 snow days for the 2017-2018 school year, which forced Superintendent Kristin Heckt to ask the Board of Education to extend the school calendar to June 20 to meet the required 180 school days. But she made sure those last three days were only half days.
Bolton Center School is not air conditioned. According to Board of Education minutes, Heckt said there’s a concern about the heat in the afternoon and the students’ well-being.
The half days will also give staff time to pack up their rooms for an asbestos abatement project.
“It just takes another day away from the summer vacation where you can play and be free,” sixth-grader Benjamin Roth said.
He’d prefer to be at school when it’s cold instead of in June. But he’s all for the half days, not only because he gets out earlier. He said the school can get very warm.
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“Since we go upstairs, it’s really hot and the heat rises,” Roth said.
But Roth’s dad, Jeffrey, is not a fan of half days.
“When I went to school there was no air conditioning and we went well into June many times,” Jeffrey Roth said.
In fact, he rather the school day be extended, not the school calendar.
“Go eight hours to school and make up those half days that way rather than extend the year,” Roth said.
The Bolton Board of Education also agreed that next year, should there be another winter like this, there could be days taken from April break if school is cancelled more than nine days. Staff and parents would be notified ahead of time.
“You just got to roll with the punches. I used to get frustrated but what are you going to do? The safety of the kids comes first,” Catherine Peacock said.
Peacock is raising five kids in Bolton. She said whatever is best for their education is the decision the Board needs to make.
“As far as my husband and I are concerned, education comes first. You can always go to Disney, you can always go down south to the beach, but their schooling is important,” Peacock said.
