It's yet another day without classes for three North Shore districts where teachers are continuing to strike, and now some Massachusetts families are beginning to wonder -- how will all of this missed time be made up?
Gloucester and Beverly students have been out of school for nine days now, while Marblehead has been out for eight -- they've all surpassed tacking on days to the end of the school year, and we haven't even hit winter yet.
State law requires public school students to attend 180 days of school, and they cannot go to school beyond June 30. So the districts are looking at having students go to school during February or April vacation, or even Saturdays, because as of Thursday, all three districts have used up all the so-called "snow days" they had built into their calendars.
Beyond that, parents are getting concerned about potential learning loss for their children being out of the classroom for so long, and the uncertainty every day has become exhausting for families.
“They’re scrambling trying to find sitters at the last minute because what, we get the phone call at 7:30 at night?" said Melissa Wiley, a Beverly mother. "I don’t know what to expect from day to day you know. Are they going to be able to go back to school tomorrow?”
Gov. Maura Healey has called for a resolution, saying this is so hard for kids and their parents in these districts.
"I really strongly encourage both sides to work this out in each of the communities and let’s get these children back in school,” the governor said.
Negotiations are scheduled to resume Thursday morning in all three districts as the unions meanwhile continue to rack up fines for these strikes, which are illegal in Massachusetts.
