Three weeks. Four snowstorms. The town of Walpole, along with every town in New England has been blanketed by the record-breaking amounts of snowfall that have piled high this winter. For many adults, this wintry weather has meant working from home; for students, six snow days — the most Walpole Public Schools (WPS) have had in at least twenty years.
“This has definitely been the most active month of storms in my 29 years in education,” said Superintendent Lincoln Lynch, the individual at the head of the decisions to cancel school.
After the highly anticipated 2015 Winter blizzard Juno blanketed Walpole on January 26-28 with upwards of two feet of snow and two snow days, Mother Nature did not stop there: the Northeast was again pounded by more snow and two more snow days on Groundhog’s Day. From February 8-10, Walpole experienced deja vu for what Punxsutawney Phil promised on February 2: its third snowstorm in two weeks.
“While we may have received a lot of snow in past years, it was spread out over a longer period of time. This winter is different because we got this snow in such a short amount of time that it has been impossible for any of it to melt,” said Lynch.
Pounded by more than 69 inches of snowfall, Boston has subsequently surpassed the previous 1978 record Boston record for the most snow in 30 days. For the third week in a row, Superintendent Lincoln Lynch permitted two more snow days for Walpole Public Schools, making it a total of six snow days so far this winter, with still a month and half remaining in the winter season. According to the Superintendent’s Secretary Mary Mortali, Walpole Public Schools has had more snow days than any previous year in the accessible Town Hall records, which only goes back until 2002. However, many believe that both 1978 and 1995 may have had higher snowfall totals.
Because of these snow days, the looming question remains right now on most students and faculty minds: Will they ever get out of school?
Originally, Walpole Public School students in grades 1 through 11 were going to be released for the summer hiatus June 18; however, with the six snowdays, these students will now be in classes until June 26. With June 30 as the last possible day for classes, the school calendar includes 5 extra built-in days in June that can be used when snow days impact the calendar.
“Right now we can eat into two more days at the end of the year (June 29 and 30). After that, I must make scheduling changes that have to be approved by 4/7 of the Walpole School Committee,” said Lynch.
In the case that Superintendent Lynch must make adjustments to the calendar, he plans on looking at Professional Development days, as well as Good Friday. Additionally, adding an early release on a Saturday is an option.
Currently, while April vacation remains an option, that adjustment is a last resort for the Superintendent.
“I know many families and faculty have vacations planned, and it would be an extreme financial hardship on them. Also, there are a lot of activities, specifically sports-related, that take place during April vacation that make impacting April vacation not my main consideration,” said Lynch.
As for seniors, their final day of classes remains May 27, unimpacted by the recent snow days. Due to the regulations determined by the Massachusetts Department of Education, seniors must graduate within 12 school days from the last day of classes for the rest of the students, June 26. Therefore, with teachers also having to grade final exams prior to graduation, the seniors’ June 7 graduation date cannot be adjusted.
With possibly more snow in the coming weeks, Superintendent Lynch will be assessing any future changes in the calendar, as the town’s safety remains the main priority of both the DPW and Lynch.
While the ultimate decision must be made prior to 5 a.m., Lynch has cancelled all six snow days this month the day before the storm. “We know that waiting too long will impact parents’ options when making child care decisions. We understand that any disruption to family routines poses challenges to parents and students,” said Lynch.
Luckily, with February vacation, Superintendent Lynch did not need to cancel school for the most recent storm. “I am very pleased with everyone’s understanding so far this winter,” said Lynch.
As for now, students and faculty must wait and see if this snow will ever stop.
With more snow in the forecast, the Walpole community knows the drill by this point. Paralyzing travel and halting school, as well as community activities, the snow forced the Department of Public Works (DPW) to constantly hit the roads to keep up with the consistent accumulation of snow.
“As a high schooler in 1978, I thought we received a lot of snow then,” said Mr. Robert LeBlanc, the Superintendent of Highways, Parks and Cemeteries for the Walpole DPW, “but it seems this winter we may get even more.”
