Stratford BOE Votes to Shorten February Break

The Stratford Board of Education Monday passed a school calendar for next year that shortens February break from a full week to a 4-day weekend and has school in session on both Columbus Day and Veterans Day.

BOE Chairman Gavin Forrester called it "a consensus calendar" that a school board subcommittee pieced together looking at sample calendars of nearby districts and assessing feedback from the nearly 500 Stratford parents who responded to an online survey.

For the new February break, Stratford students will have the Friday before Presidents' Day off and then the Monday that is the holiday off. Forrester said the option to shorten February break received "a lot of favorable responses from parents" who took the survey.

In the fall the school year will start on Aug. 28, a day earlier than previously scheduled. The last day of school under the revised calendar is June 9.

Forrester made clear that "April break is locked in with the new schedule."

The basic aim of the new calendar is to get kids out of the classroom before hot, muggy weather becomes unbearable, as "a number of schools don't have air conditioning," Forrester said.

Thirteen school days were canceled this year, 12 due to weather, Forrester said. The last day of school this year is June 26, the same date Stratford's two high schools will hold graduation ceremonies.