New England Public Radio

Following Recent Storms, School Officials Ponder How To Make Up Snow Days

Snow days are piling up. So much so, that Massachusetts school officials are beginning to wonder how they will make them up. Massachusetts requires 180 days of classes in a school year. Springfield Public Schools spokesperson Azell Cavaan says the district normally includes five snow days in the annual calendar. She says despite Monday’s school closing, the district’s 26,000 students can expect to finish the year as scheduled.

“But if we get one more, then those days are going to have to start being made up. And it’s too early to tell with absolute certainty how those days will be made up, but historically we generally tend to tack them on at the end of the school year,” she adds.

Cavaan says other options include reducing or canceling school vacation days, using previously scheduled professional development days for school days or even holding school on Saturdays. She says the state can waive the 180-day requirement when extraordinary circumstances force a school’s closure, if the district makes a request in writing.

 

Springfield Schools Test New Expanded Free Meal Program

As Massachusetts students return to the classroom, education officials are looking to increase the number of schools providing free meals using a federal program.

About a third of all of children enrolled in Massachusetts’ public schools are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals. This program lets schools hand out meals to all students, regardless of need, with the federal and state governments picking up the tab. Springfield is trying out the program this year on a test basis, serving free meals to all its 26,000 students. District spokesperson Azell Cavaan says that alleviates the administrative burden of collecting individual paper applications.

“Last year and for several years before that, breakfast has been available at no charge for all of our students. And now through this program, we’re able to make the offer of a free lunch available to all of our students,” says Cavaan.

As of the end of August, only seven Massachusetts school districts, including Boston and Fitchburg, had fully implemented free meals district-wide. Springfield will decide whether to continue with its program at the end of the school year.

 

Springfield Schools To Create Edible Gardens For Students

Springfield’s Public School system may soon have gardens where students can grow food for their cafeterias. That’s after the district received a $100,000 federal grant. Springfield has already partnered with local farms to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for students. School spokesperson Azell Cavaan says this latest grant from the USDA goes a step further.

“The whole idea is to actually be gardeners. For the students to have gardens in their own buildings that they are responsible for and that they reap the benefits from.”

Cavaan says the school committee still needs to sign-off on the program. And she does not know how many of the city’s 55 schools have available space for gardens. But she says she expects to see some fruits and vegetables growing by the end of the current school year. Springfield is among only 6 New England school districts, including Somerville, Massachusetts, and New London, Connecticut, to receive these grants.