Babylon Schools Making Up Lost Days Feb. 19-22

Babylon School District has announced schools will be opened February 19th through 22nd, 2013 in order to make up school days missed due to Hurricane Sandy knocking out transportation, power and gas earlier this month.

The New York State Department of Education requires schools be in session for at least 180 days each school year; the current schedule included the required 180 days and 3 Superintendent's conference days that would have been used for potential snow days.

"This year due to Hurricane Sandy, we lost seven school days (Oct 29-Nov 2, Nov 5-6)," Superintendent Richard Rozakis wrote to parents. "This means that we already have used up our three potential 'snow days,' and must also make up an additional four days of school."

The district, like many others along the South Shore of Long Island decided to make use of the February Break (or President's Week) starting Tuesday, February 19 to Friday, February 22, 2013 and open schools.

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"These four days will bring us back to the 180 we are required to have," Rozakis wrote. "New York State is not changing its testing schedule nor is it modifying the content of the tests. Therefore, our students will need to make up the lost instruction just to catch up to where they should have been had we not had the storm."

The recent district closing, extending seven school days and eleven total days off, were the longest non-planned closures in recent memory within the Babylon School District.

"The need to make up instruction for our children was foremost on my mind throughout the ordeal of having to close school for so many consecutive days," wrote Rozakis. "I feel that this is the most equitable solution, and allows us also to leave our spring break intact on March 25-29, 2013."