Schools

Poll Result: East Penn Should be Open on Thanksgiving Monday

Respondents to an online Patch survey say district should make-up September "snow day" on the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Students in will be heading to class on the Monday after Thanksgiving if the respondents to an online Patch poll get their way.

The poll question, included in an , asked: “Should schools in East Penn be open on the Monday after Thanksgiving?”

Since then 1245 Patch users have participated in the poll, with 1213 respondents, or 97 percent, selecting the answer, “Yes. The district should save its snow days for the winter months.”

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Two percent of those who took part in the online poll (32 respondents) chose "No, it's the opening day of deer season," as their answer.

The poll results are not scientific.

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Class is in session today for students in East Penn, making it one of the only districts in the Lehigh Valley open for business on Columbus Day.

Oct. 10 was originally slated as an in-service day, but it became a regular school day so the district could make up one of two days missed during the first week of school due to flooded roadways.

Superintendent of Schools Thomas L. Seidenberger told the that the Monday after Thanksgiving is being explored as the second potential rain make-up day. At that meeting board President Charles Ballard said he thought the superintendent might get some push back on Thanksgiving Monday as a makeup, since it’s the first day of deer hunting in Pennsylvania.

The school district had asked the Pennsylvania Department of Education to excuse East Penn from both September absences.

As a Plan B, Seidenberger asked the school board at the board's Sept. 12 meeting to allow the district to turn the Oct. 10 in-service day into a regular school day if for some reason the state chose not to excuse the two September closings.

As of last Monday, East Penn had heard nothing from the state, so administrators began spreading the word that East Penn would be open for business today.


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