How Will Snow Days Affect NJ School Year? [POLL/AUDIO]

Winter doesn't officially arrive for another ten days, but many New Jersey students and teachers have already had more than one day off due to the snow.

The number of snow days built into a school calendar varies from district to district, at the discretion of the local Board of Education, based on the superintendent's recommendations. Some districts have no days built in; others have three or more.

"Right now, if I were a parent, I wouldn't be concerned about the fact that schools were closed for a couple of days," said Frank Belluscio, deputy executive director of the New Jersey School Boards Association.

New Jersey statute requires a minimum of 180 instructional days each school year, and each district can decide how it reaches that minimum. If snow days eat into a district's calendar, it can cut back on the length of spring recess, or schedule classes on Martin Luther King Day when students would normally be at home.

"In addition, the school district does have the option of tacking on additional days to the end of the scheduled school year," said Belluscio.

Belluscio noted school districts' immediate focus is the safety of their children and staff. Down the line, they will focus on meeting the 180-day requirement.