Area schoolchildren are on February vacation this week. Yep, that’s right. Even after numerous winter storms have canceled school, students and staff are taking yet another break.

Do they really need February vacation this year? After about two weeks off at Christmas, as well as many snow days in January and early February (and don’t forget Windham and Raymond kids had three days at home in December due to a school threat), school leadership across the area has gone ahead with the previously scheduled vacation week. And there has been no talk of pulling the plug on April vacation.

What is this, Congress? We thought only our national leaders went on vacation this much. We know this isn’t the end of the world, but really, what gives?

Most times, school vacations are needed and appreciated. Adults remember well how lavish our childhood summers were – 10 whole weeks of no obligations! We also happily remember those luxurious weeklong vacations at Christmas and New Year’s (maybe two weeks if they fell on a Wednesday). We remember the February and April weeks off that helped get us through to June. Oh, and at least once a month there were Monday holidays added in for good measure. Yes, everyone knows the school year is like Swiss cheese, allowing for plenty of rest and recuperation. And the school calendar cycle hasn’t changed in many generations.

And that time-honored schedule usually works. But not this year. If the wintry conditions keep up for another two months, kids could be in school until late June. Worse, they could be having their last-day parties in early July. That’s unfortunate, especially in Maine, where teenagers aid the tourism economy and summer camps rely on kids being available for the first session in late June. Plus, it’s just harder to keep kids attentive when the weather is warm and the end of school is approaching, so very little learning actually gets done in June.

It seems the best way to deal with a plethora of snow days is to make them up during February and April vacations, so summer isn’t impacted. While they have missed their opportunity to call off the February break, superintendents should warn everyone now: No April vacation.

Our overarching concern isn’t that summer vacation is being impacted. We’re worried that school leadership is sending the message that vacation is somehow more important than education – that it’s a sacred thing not to be touched. Superintendents and school boards usually go overboard touting the virtues of education. Closing school for another five days, after kids have lost so many days already, seems to jibe against their usual modus operandi.

While canceling a planned vacation seems the best way to deal with snow days, we also wonder how it would go over. Parents would likely break down the doors of the superintendent’s office in protest (or at least flood her email inbox) if she were to call off February or April vacation. Plane tickets to Florida have been booked, the Disney World passes have been purchased, and nothing’s going to come before a family’s prearranged vacation plans, certainly not some pesky superintendent. But not everyone has the money to pay for such trips, and we’re sure working parents would rather their kids stay in school in February or April rather than being shipped off to day care or staying home alone.

If we want to rank among the world’s best in terms of educational outcomes, then we need to prioritize education at all times, not only when it’s convenient. There is plenty of debate on whether lengthening the school day or increasing the number of days can help, but some countries, like India, have their kids in school more than 220 days a year. Others, like America, with its 175- to 180-day standard, are much less, and test results show it. While the experts disagree on the right balance, we know the answer isn’t heaping vacation time on top of time lost due to bad weather.

–John Balentine, managing editor