Thursday, May 27, 2010

Snow Daze

May 27th -- 90 degrees -- and it's a Snow Day!  At least that is the case for several of our local school districts.  Snow Day tomorrow, too.  So if the streets seem quieter than normal, it's because the kids are not in class. . . and neither are the teachers even though they are being paid as though they are working.

Snow Days were practically unheard of when most area people lived mainly in Utica.  Even outside the city, you walked to school.   The school year was more like 190 days give or take. 

Then, when Snow Days were first instituted as busing became the norm, they were like sick days. 

You take sick leave only when you are sick, not when you want a long weekend in Vegas.

The 180 day minimum class days have become a joke as it is with all the distractions and interruptions -- such as the Ride for Missing Children. (Sorry, but there is no reason why the "Ride" cannot be done on a weekend).  Now 180 days is more like a maximum.  And students are now celebrating a 5 day weekend -- just what they need before exam time.

This scheme must stop.  Snow days should be used like sick days -- only when needed -- for snow.  They should not ripen into extra vacation when not used.  The kids could use the extra work and the teachers are already being paid for it.

Students and taxpayers alike are cheated by late May "Snow Days."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This isn't new...that's the way it worked when I was in school as well, and I graduated 21 years ago. I don't have a problem with it.