JAY – More than 20 seniors and a dozen parents came to the Jay School Committee meeting Monday to plead their case to keep graduation on June 5.
They have plans. The announcements and invitations are printed. A deposit has been put on a Project Graduation cruise, and many relatives have already booked trips to Jay for graduation.
Seniors said they’re willing to go to school during April vacation, on Saturdays and do community service to make up the five days they’re still short of the 170-day instructional requirement to prevent changing the date to June 12.
A meeting was set for 6 p.m. Monday, March 28, at the Middle School to discuss the issue further. In the meantime, the superintendent plans to talk to the state commissioner of education and the Jay Education Association. Seniors plan to survey students to see what method of making up the days they prefer.
The school system has had seven snow days, two more than were built into the school calendar for kindergarten through grade 11. Only one of the snow days fell into the calendar for the seniors, making seniors six days short of the 170-day requirement prior to Mondays meeting.
The board voted unanimously Monday to postpone two teachers workshops to the end of the year.
The workshop on Friday, March 25, was moved to June 20 and a workshop day on June 17 was moved to June 21.
Students were supposed to have this Friday off, but now will be going to school. The last day of school for kindergarten through grade 11 is now June 17.
Acceptable methods under the law to reschedule canceled days are: rescheduling or shortening of scheduled vacation periods, postponing of the scheduled closing date of school and conducting classes on the weekend, Superintendent Robert Wall said.
School boards may apply for a state waiver of the length of a school year, which may be granted only after school officials have exhausted all reasonable avenues for making up lost school days and only in extraordinary circumstances.
In order to get a waiver, Wall said, the board would have to prove that all other efforts were exhausted. He also said he did not believe it was feasible to ask the commissioner to waive all five instructional days.
Parent Patty Richards said that it was unrealistic for the school system to only schedule one snow day for the senior class.
“We live in Maine,” she said.
Senior Jaclyn Lautz asked whether the two-day Project Graduation trip could count as two instructional days. She also said seniors would be willing to go to school three days during April vacation and or do Saturdays to make up the time. They’re also willing to do community service days.
“Our class had a really good turnout” for community service projects, Lautz said. They could work at the food bank, do school beautification and other projects, she said.
Ashley Uhuad said if the time was made up during April vacation it would be instructional time.
High School Peter Brown said he did a survey of other school districts and many are going through the same process. Some like Livermore Falls are leaving graduation dates alone while others are changing them, Brown said.
Jasmin Schutrumpf, an exchange student from Germany, said graduation was an important day. She wouldn’t be able to participate if the date is changed because her trip home is already booked and the money is nonrefundable.
Brianna Joy’s eyes teared up when she said she wouldn’t be able to march with her classmates because her family has a trip planned.
Vice Chairman Mary Luce told seniors she appreciated their coming forward to speak on their own behalf.
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