Many towns have declared more than five snow days during this school year, causing their School Committees to scramble to figure out how to meet the mandatory 180 day operation requirement mandated by 603 CMR 27.03.
There is no uniform statewide answer to when school will close for the year. The last day of school will vary by city or town. The date depends on a number of factors including whether a district started school before or after Labor Day. There are also several methods that a district can choose to make up days after it has used up the five extra days that are required to be scheduled by each locality for unforseen school closings. In 2011, the Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education issued Student Learning Time: Guidance on the 180-Day Requirement, which outlines and suggests sometimes surprising options that are up to the locality to decide. For instance, it seems that the traditional February and April vacations are not a statewide mandate and that school can be in session after June 30th under certain local circumstances.
See our Massachusetts Law About Education page for useful links to a wide variety of Massachusetts education topics.
