Philadelphia

Snow Days Push Back Summer Vacation for Area Schools

With the first day of spring looking more like a mid-winter wonderland, many parents are bracing for what could become a difficult start to summer.

At least three local school districts have already extended the academic year because of snow days. Philadelphia, West Chester and North Penn school districts confirmed to NBC10 that classes will creep into mid-June thanks to the ongoing storms.

In a letter sent to parents, West Chester Area School District Superintendent Dr. James Scanlon acknowledged the inconvenience to parents but said that making up school days is no easy feat.

In previous years, the school board automatically listed June 18 as the last day. If no snow days were needed, officials would wrap up classes five days early. But “people complained about this,” Scanlon said.

Then, the school district started scheduling a full week for spring break and taking away make-up days as needed.

But “people complained because it cut into their vacation plans.”

And so on.

In short, Scanlon asked parents to be patient while the West Chester school district evaluates conditions and determines make-up days based on what makes the most sense.

“We’ll be out driving roads, checking forecasts, and seeing how our snow crews are doing,” he said.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia schools are fresh out of snow days as of Wednesday, spokesman Lee Whack told NBC10. That school district automatically builds five snow days into their calendar year, but ran out of them as a fourth nor’easter pounded the region.

Thanks to the late winter storm, Philadelphia public schools will get out on June 13. That could change, however, depending on what mother nature has in store for the rest of the academic year.

NBC10 has a complete list of school closures. Click here to see if your school has been impacted.

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