The School Committee has received a flurry of e-mails expressing interest in changing the current School calendar. In response, we have informed residents that the School Committee will not be reviewing or acting upon the calendar until the spring. We have urged community members to check the agendas which are posted online (you can see them by clicking here) at so that you’ll know when this comes up. The calendar typically comes up as an action item and we have a discussion before taking voting. We have urged community members to participate in that discussion so that their feelings may be communicated to the entire committee.
In addition, the Superintendent of Schools is conducting a survey on the issue. You can take the survey by clicking here. In his message, he noted that building the school calendar is always an adventure. Trying to balance the competing needs of parents, students and school professionals while trying to honor various religious, state and federal holidays, is guaranteed to create some controversy. When you add the inevitable problem of school cancellations due to inclement weather and the mandatory 180-day student attendance requirement, it is inevitable that we will not be able to satisfy everyone’s needs.
It has been quite some time since the school department has collected any data from parents on our school calendar. So, we are asking for your input about some of our most common calendar issues. The Superintendent will use the results of the survey to inform his decision-making as he prepares a 2010-2011 school calendar to present to the School Committee for its approval.
This survey is for parents (sorry kids and teachers). Please complete it just once. The survey link will be open until November 24, 2008 at noon.
While we are on this topic, here is a summary of the rules and regulations regarding observance of religious holidays that the School Committee must consider in establishing the calendar:
State and federal laws require schools to make reasonable accommodation to the religious needs of students and employees in observance of holy days. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 151B, section 4 (1)(A) addresses this issue with respect to employees. With respect to students, Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 151C, section 2B reads in relevant part as follows:
Any student in an educational or vocational training institution…who is unable, because of his religious beliefs, to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study or work requirement on a particular day shall be excused from any such examination or study or work requirement, and shall be provided with an opportunity to make up such examination, study or work requirement which he may have missed because of such absence on any particular day; provided, however, that such makeup examination or work shall not create an unreasonable burden upon such school. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to the said student such opportunity. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student because of his availing himself of the provisions of this section.
Schools may meet their obligation to accommodate students by excusing individual absences for religious observance, or by adjusting the school calendar to provide a school year of at least 180 school days, while taking into account possible days of low attendance due to religious holidays.
