This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Summer Days and School Bells?

Summer's here and the weather's in the nineties. Summer camps are just beginning. What a great time to be a kid!

What's that? We aren't hearing the sounds of splashing in the pool or children playing games? Are those school bells I hear? While students in Edison and Metuchen are just getting started with their vacation, Woodbridge students remain in school until Wednesday. Do we get bonus points for using our 180 days during hotter weather?

There are some parents complaining about the late school year in the playground. But how did this happen? Although some might think the late year is a result of Superstorm Sandy, this couldn't be further from the truth. The Board of Education selected June 26 as the last day of school on December 15, 2011. For next school year, the students must also attend until June 26 at least until the Board itself makes a change.

What's interesting about the lateness of the Woodbridge school year is that we can have almost all the same vacations and still finish much earlier. A simple example can be seen by looking at Edison, which finished its school year last Wednesday, one week prior to Woodbridge, and in 2014 will complete the feat again.

How does Edison do it? It starts right at the beginning. In September, Woodbridge chose to delay the start of the school year until September 9, due to the early date for the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. Edison decided to start school the day after Labor Day and has two school days in the bank before Woodbridge gets its first. Woodbridge holds a teacher inservice on Columbus Day, while Edison has that as a school day. Both districts have identical days off through January, but in February, Woodbridge takes two days off for Presidents Day and Lincoln's Birthday, while Edison takes only Presidents Day off. Finally, for Spring Recess, Edison takes only five days, ending on Good Friday. Woodbridge starts on Good Friday and then takes the full week following Easter. That's five days difference—one full week!

Are the extra days built into the schedule actually necessary? Does it really make sense to hold class in 90-degree weather in aging buildings? In my opinion, it certainly does not. 

What is there to do about it? Too often, parents feel they can't do anything. As a result, we put up with year after year of the same or perhaps even worse. Does everyone realize that in 2013-14, the Board added four new half days for all students and an additional four half days for elementary students? If you want change, the answer is quite simple. Go to Board meetings and complain. The public has a right to speak. When parents complained about the end of courtesy busing for elementary students several years ago, the Board changed its plan. The Board won't change, though, unless people show they care. 

For those who do care, the next Board meeting is Thursday, June 27 at School 21. The public portion of the meeting begins at 7 pm. By then, our children will actually be out of school.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?