BoE Approves Shorter Winter Break for 2013-14 School Year [Updated]

[Editor's Note: This article was updated to correct the days students will have off in Feburary 2014. They will have Feb. 13 and 14 of and will return to school on Tuesday, Feb. 18.]

The Wilton Board of Education approved on Thursday night a revised calendar for the 2013-14 school year that will reduce the number of days off for winter break in February, decrease the amount of parent-teacher conference days from five each year to four and shift a professional development day for teachers from Feb. 3 to Feb. 14.

Instead of students having four days off following President's Day (Feb. 17), they will now only have Thursday, Feb. 13 and Friday, Feb. 14 off, while teachers attend professional development.

The changes were made in response to the increasing number of snow days Wilton students have had off during the 2012-13 school year due to Superstorm Sandy in October and a snowstorm in January.

In November, Wilton parents started an email campaign to the Board of Education and Superintendent Gary Richards asking them to consider postponing that month's parent-teacher conference days—which, when held, reduces a full-day of school to a half day—since Sandy had already kept students out school during the weeks prior.

The decision to move a professional development day to Feb. 14 was suggested by board member Lory Rothstein, who said that parents and children would appreciate the extra day off before President's Day weekend.

Assistant Superintendent Tim Canty said that it although it might be more difficult to secure offsite professional development training right before that weekend, he said that the administration would just make sure to organize an on-site program for that particular day in the year.