As
the city continues to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Michael
Bloomberg and Education Chancellor Dennis Walcott have shortened the mid-winter
recess. Instead of having the whole week off, the 2013 February break will be
cut down from five days to two. This was done in an effort to meet the Department
of Education’s required 180 days of active schooling.
Over
a thousand schools in New York City were affected by the storm. Mayor Bloomberg
closed all New York City public schools for five days. Schools, such as Tech, which
served as shelters, were closed for an additional day. Furthermore, to
accommodate victims displaced by Sandy, Tech implemented a special, shortened
schedule for the first three days back that increased the amount of class time
missed.
Tech
students have a variety of opinions on the recent changes.
Caren
Celine Morris ’14 said, “Taking some days out of a vacation is a lot better
than lengthening school days, so I think that this decision was a smart one.”
According
to Sydul Akhanji ’16, “Any break is really important to a
student because it lets us relax and not do any work. And if you’re in a specialized
high school like Brooklyn Tech, we get a lot of work. We need that break.”
February
break was shortened to compensate for the loss of school time and to get the
city back on track for national standards. There are usually 182 to 183 school
days in the year; the extra days are used to cushion snow days or other
unexpected school closings. NYC only would have been two or three days short of
the mandated 180 days, but problems would arise if any bad snow storms occur
this winter that would require further school closings.
If
there are teachers or students who have already booked and arranged their February
vacation plans, there will definitely be some absences during the week of
February 18th.
Jennifer
Sullivan, Assistant Principal of Organization, said, “Personally, my plans were
not affected… Staff members that have proof of paying for a vacation prior to
the storm are allowed to take the days by using days in their ‘sick bank’
without being penalized. I imagine some teachers will be absent that week, as
well as a number of students whose parents booked and paid for holiday
vacations.”
Sasha Kiosse ’15 didn’t have any plans that
were affected by this change, but commented, “I don’t really mind coming in the
two or three extra days, but I know a lot of people who won’t be coming in to
school. [Those] school days are going to be pointless. I don’t think we’ll be
doing anything in class if so many people aren’t going to be there.”
Akhanji expressed disdain towards those who
will be missing school that week. “It kind of gets me mad. You know there is
school yet you still go on a one week or three day vacation while other kids
are actually going to school and doing work. It is kind of an integrity thing… If
there is school, you have to go to school.”