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Date: 3/5/2015
SPRINGFIELD – Kids – and parents – mark your calendars. The first day of the next school year is Aug. 31.
The School Committee approved the next school year calendar at its Feb. 26 meeting.
Superintendent Daniel Warwick said the calendar is once again built around 185 school days to meet the state’s requirement of 180 days and to have a five-day buffer for snow days.
He said that Springfield has used five days already this school year due to the weather and is “in a good situation.” At this point neither the end of school this year or the April vacation should be affected.
Without any more cancellations the last day of school this year will be June 19.
He noted some other districts did not build in snow days and are now facing with either altering vacations or planning to close school later in June. Warwick said that student productivity decreases when the school year goes deeper into June.
Tentatively the last day of the school year in 2016 will be June 23.
Warwick said that one of the professional days for teachers has been scheduled for Jan. 6, 2016, as that is Three Kings’ Day, part of the Hispanic celebration of Christmas. He said that attendance has always dipped on that day.
The School Committee also heard a report from William Baker the director of Safety and Security for the district. Baker outlined numerous safety and emergency improvements to the city’s schools.
“We want to make sure we’re making our buildings as safe as possible,” Baker said.
The steps taken range from every school having an emergency operation manual to every staff and contractor working in the school to have an identification card.
The city will be purchasing 13 metal detectors for use at schools within the next year and a half, Baker said, to add to the existing inventory. The district has also devised a procedure about student entry into schools that includes randomly putting students through the detectors, he added.
The schools regularly go through a series of announced and unannounced lock down drills, Baker said. “The staff has been incredible,” he added.
Each building has a “Be Safe” binder that notes everything a person needs to know about each building’s infrastructure.
Glass in the entryways of buildings has been hardened with a application of a special sealer, he said.
Representatives of Amtrak have worked in the schools near train tracks to alert students not to play near the tracks, especially in light of the new high-speed trains to and from Vermont.
Baker lauded the Springfield Police’s Quebec officers who work in the schools and said, “They are a great unit who are actively engaging with the students every day.”
Although snow removal has been a challenge this year at the city’s schools, the School Committee has the funds to pay for the additional service. The committee approved an allocation of $300,000 from its reserves to pay for snow removal.
Warwick said, “We’ve had great service all year.” He added the roofs of schools continue to be monitored.