Schools, Twp., Closed on Presidents' Day, but School Vacation Shorter

The Bernards Township Schools and Bernards municipal building and Bernards Township Library all will be closed on Monday for Presidents Day.

But while the day was intended to kick off the traditional weeklong February vacation for Bernards Township students, the holiday won't be as long as usual this year — thanks to Hurricane Sandy.

The last two days of this week, Thursday and Friday, were intended to be part of the vacation. But the holiday time was lopped off — with students expected to report to school those days — as part of the school board's make-up time for eight days lost to Sandy last October and November.

The extra days previous scheduled for time off that have been returned to this year's school calendar include the Martin Luther King holiday on Jan. 21; Thursday and Friday, Feb. 21 and 22, the last two days of the February weeklong vacation; Friday, April 26, the last day of the weeklong April vacation; and Friday, May 24, the first day of a scheduled long Memorial Day weekend.

And students might be using this year as a practice run for a shorter February vacation. After surveying parents, staff and some students, the school board has proposed shortening February vacation in future school calendars as one way of allowing the school year to end earlier in June.

The Board of Education is due to make a final decision on the 2013-14 school calendar at a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. on March 4.

Other meetings coming up this week include:

• The Bernards Township Charter Day committee hearing at 10 a.m. on Thursday at the Town Hall at 1 Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge.

• The Bernards Township Board of Health is scheduled to meet at 8 p.m. on Thursday at the Board of Health building at 262 S. Finley Ave., Basking Ridge.