July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Long avoiding 'knee-jerk' reaction (03/18/2009)
By From Staff and AP Reports-
An announcement by the state's top education official is already bringing protest from several fronts.
But Tim Long, superintendent of the Jay School Corporation is cautioning against a "knee-jerk" reaction to the possibility that big changes could be coming in requirements for making up days lost to weather and using half-days for required instruction for teachers.
State school superintendent Tony Bennett said Tuesday that he will require schools to make up a day of school for each day they miss because of weather, ending a Department of Education practice that allowed exceptions.
Bennett also said half days and parent-teacher conference days will no longer count toward instructional time. However, days when school is delayed two hours because of weather would count as full instructional days.
The goal is to provide students with 180 full school days, Bennett said.
"Our intent is to help students be prepared for a 21st century economy," he told reporters in his office Tuesday.
Long, in a telephone interview this morning, said he is urging a measured approach to the proposals.
"We probably just want to wait a little bit of time and see what shakes out. We're still in a legislative session and there still could be changes there. Our position right now is that we're going to stay with our (school) calendar (for the 2009-10 school year) until we see what shakes out. If changes are going to be made," said Long, "we would want to get that done in May. The advice I would give parents and patrons would be that we'll have our new calendar posted on June 1."
During the current school year, Jay Schools has cancelled nine days because of snow, cold and fog.
It is one of at least 12 corporations across the state that have applied for a waiver that, if approved, would allow it to make up six of the nine missed days.
In an e-mail sent to members of the Jay School Board, Long urged that it would "be most prudent not to react to (Bennett's) statement ... This probably will get some reaction from other interested parties, and we should observe the interaction."
Long said that several school corporations across the state, because they were told that waivers would not be granted this school year, have already rearranged school calendars and changed graduation dates. The decision has been made to grant waivers for the current year.
Also affecting Jay Schools could be Bennett's statement on half days. The local school system currently schedules six days in which students attend for the first half of the day and the second half is used for in-service, or continuing education for teachers. Tuesday was such a day in the Jay School Corporation.
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But Tim Long, superintendent of the Jay School Corporation is cautioning against a "knee-jerk" reaction to the possibility that big changes could be coming in requirements for making up days lost to weather and using half-days for required instruction for teachers.
State school superintendent Tony Bennett said Tuesday that he will require schools to make up a day of school for each day they miss because of weather, ending a Department of Education practice that allowed exceptions.
Bennett also said half days and parent-teacher conference days will no longer count toward instructional time. However, days when school is delayed two hours because of weather would count as full instructional days.
The goal is to provide students with 180 full school days, Bennett said.
"Our intent is to help students be prepared for a 21st century economy," he told reporters in his office Tuesday.
Long, in a telephone interview this morning, said he is urging a measured approach to the proposals.
"We probably just want to wait a little bit of time and see what shakes out. We're still in a legislative session and there still could be changes there. Our position right now is that we're going to stay with our (school) calendar (for the 2009-10 school year) until we see what shakes out. If changes are going to be made," said Long, "we would want to get that done in May. The advice I would give parents and patrons would be that we'll have our new calendar posted on June 1."
During the current school year, Jay Schools has cancelled nine days because of snow, cold and fog.
It is one of at least 12 corporations across the state that have applied for a waiver that, if approved, would allow it to make up six of the nine missed days.
In an e-mail sent to members of the Jay School Board, Long urged that it would "be most prudent not to react to (Bennett's) statement ... This probably will get some reaction from other interested parties, and we should observe the interaction."
Long said that several school corporations across the state, because they were told that waivers would not be granted this school year, have already rearranged school calendars and changed graduation dates. The decision has been made to grant waivers for the current year.
Also affecting Jay Schools could be Bennett's statement on half days. The local school system currently schedules six days in which students attend for the first half of the day and the second half is used for in-service, or continuing education for teachers. Tuesday was such a day in the Jay School Corporation.
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