Brick School Year Extended Due to Sandy

Summer vacation will have to wait this year.

The unexpected seven day closure of Brick schools that resulted from Superstorm Sandy will cost students some beach time come summer.

The Brick school district, like all others statewide, is required to be in session for 180 days. In order to comply with the state regulations, the school year will be extended through June 24.

The township's Board of Education approved a newly-constructed calendar at its meeting Nov. 29.

"There's a lot of time we have to make up," said board member Susan Suter, who did not support extending the school year until the end of June since the weather could turn too hot.

Suter suggested taking days from various breaks, but Superintendent Dr. Walter Uszenski said he surveyed the school community and the majority favored extending the school year.

"After I surveyed all the unions, teachers, administrators, parents and the community, it was unanimously asked not to touch the spring break," Uszenski said. "If we get days off in the winter, it will come off of spring break, so we still could lose those days."

Uszenski said there are "a lot of variables" at work, and state education officials still have the option of lowering the 180 day requirement in the wake of Sandy.

Uszenski said state officials would likely wait until after the winter is over to consider such an option.