You remember what it was like — watching the snow and waiting for your town to be announced in the list of school cancellations. But in a winter like this one that has notched record-breaking snow, an accumulation of snow days could spell trouble for Jersey City students come June.
“Three snow days are built into the system,” said Paula Christen, the district’s special assistant for planning, accountability, and development.
The last day of school had been slated for June 22, but with the snow days, it has been pushed to June 27. Christen said that 182 total school days are required in the Jersey City public school system.
“Three snow days are built into the system” — Paula Christen
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She recalled that “a long time ago” they cut one day from spring break, but the Board of Education would like to avoid that.
“A lot of teachers and families make plans to go away, and it’s an inconvenience,” she said, noting that other districts have had to do it.
Anticipating upcoming snow storms, she said the board will consider delayed openings if need be. “We’re contemplating that in the district because of the crazy weather,” she said. “By noon the sun could come out, so it’s difficult logistically in a large district.”
Jersey City has 39 public schools with 27,000 students and 6,000 staff.
Delayed openings would keep the kids from losing a day, but there are “a lot of variables,” Christen said. “Parents have to get to work, and while many students walk to neighborhood schools, if they live farther away, they may decide it’s not worth coming in.”
She noted that Bayonne has recently declared more delayed openings instead of snow days.
Who is the decider?
The superintendent makes the ultimate decision about declaring snow days, Christen said. The drill goes like this: He starts monitoring the snowfall the night before. About 4 a.m. he checks with the weather service for updated reports and then confers with the business administrator and superintendents in other districts.
“He likes to look at New York,” Christen said. “If New York is closed, it shows how bad the storm is. It has to be a quick call, early enough to alert staff, by 5 a.m.”
The district has a “blackboard connect” emergency notification system, a computerized service that can contact students and staff within a half hour, according to Christen.
She said she also contacts Channel 1, JC TV, four or five radio stations, and five TV stations to let them know.
Snow days at the dawn of time
Christen, who has been on the job 21 years, recalled that the last time there were a lot of snow days was in January of 1996.
“There was a very large blizzard,” she said, “and we were closed for five days, the entire week. The streets were so bad; they couldn’t get the snow out.”
She said it was similar to the snow storm we had this winter during Christmas week. “This year the snow seems to be an annoyance,” she said, “and we have staff that have to come from all over, not just Jersey City.”
Are the students worried about having to stay in school longer in the summer?
“I haven’t polled any students,” Christen said, “but I don’t know if they even think about it. I guess it depends on the age of the kids. Seniors want to know when they’re graduating, and nothing has been set in stone.”
Christen’s biggest concern?
“Safety,” she said. “We have a lot of children to worry about.”
Kate Rounds can be reached at krounds@hudsonreporter.com..