Mantua Township schools will be closed on Feb. 8, but child care will be available at the summer rate at the J. Mason Tomlin School for K-6 students.
- This letter was sent to the homes of Mantua Township School District students
It is with careful consideration that I inform you that Mantua Township Schools will be closed on Thursday, Feb. 8. As a result, Monday, March 19, will now be a full day of school for staff and students.
The decision to close school was made with the following in mind:
- The role of a school district is to maximize learning for students. We have received information indicating that Thursday will be a very low attendance day. Therefore, we are opting to hold school on March 19 when we can achieve normal attendance rates. With such a high number of anticipated student absences on Thursday, the district cannot deliver on our mission of quality and coherent classroom instruction as part of a comprehensive education.
- Likewise, it is also important to measure and serve the needs of our community which is why we reached out yesterday with a brief survey. The results showed that a significant number of parents indicated that the celebrations on Thursday would impact their child’s attendance and the majority of the community responded favorably to the schedule change. The survey was restricted to one respondent per device.
- If the district were to open on Thursday, students who attend the parade would be recorded with “unexcused” absences. Unlike sick days or family bereavement days, unexcused absences are very serious and must be formally recorded by the district to count toward truancy.
Keeping in mind that student attendance is critical for instruction, we decided to take this action proactively. To avoid a schedule disruption to families who must work on Thursday and to ensure total respect among all community members in need of child care, child care will be available at the summer rate at the J. Mason Tomlin School for K-6 students. Directions for reserving child care on Thursday is forthcoming from our Interim Director of Child Care, Mrs. Christine Connelly. Reserving child care is critical so we can staff the building adequately.
I wish you all a safe celebration and look forward to seeing your students back in our buildings on Friday, Feb. 9, for a regular school day. Thank you very much for adapting during this exciting time.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert Fisicaro
