Mark your calendars for next year, NK, because many changes are coming your way.

The NK School Department, in tandem with several others around the state, has eliminated February vacation during the 2015-16 school-year. Instead, students will be granted a four-day weekend and staff members will receive a three-day weekend in February. The end of summer will also be extended – school will start on Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day.

In regards to the topic of eliminating February vacation, The Current Wave staff is just as divided as the remainder of the North Kingstown community appears to be. The School Committee’s Feb. 3 decision to permanently cancel February break, at Dr. Auger’s recommendation, has brought about a variety of reactions from students, staff, and families: firm support, neutrality, and staunch opposition.

However, the entire staff hopes that Dr. Phil Auger and the School Committee made an informed decision – one that took all of the positive and negative aspects of February vacation into account. Their decision to eliminate February vacation for students and staff members comes with several pros and cons.

On one hand, students and faculty will enjoy an additional week of summer. They will get five more opportunities to go to the beach or to relax in the comfort of their air-conditioned homes. Some will also take advantage of this extra week to go on vacation with their families.

This change will also benefit the student body economically. Many students, particularly upperclassmen, take advantage of their time off to work summer jobs. Oftentimes, they use this money to pay for “teenage essentials” such as gas, driver’s insurance, college tuition / expenses, and coffee from Jitters.

However, the decision to eliminate February vacation also comes with a number of drawbacks.

For one, mandatory practices for student-athletes during the fall season will most likely begin at the same time next year, regardless of these changes to the school schedule. (Regulations regarding fall sports are managed by the RI Interscholastic League, not the North Kingstown School Department.) An additional week of summer practices may further inconvenience families and interrupt the work schedules of students who have summer jobs.

In addition, students and staff will only receive four days off and three days off, respectively, from school between the end of Christmas vacation and the start of April vacation. (This figure excludes weekends and snow days.) That means that students and faculty members must endure an unprecedented number of school days during one of the bleakest times of year.

Lastly, February break helps cleanse the school of infectious viruses and bacteria during a much-needed time of year. Many students get sick in February and need to stay home as a result. According to a 2013 study by the NHS, an branch of England’s Department of Health, most viruses and bacteria on surfaces outside the body die within 24 hours, but some last on surfaces outside the body for several days. Therefore, if the majority of the school sits unused for nine days in February, virtually all infectious germs are eradicated. By eliminating February break, the School Department runs the risk of more illnesses and absences among the student body.

While members of The Current Wave staff disagree with one another about the School Committee’s decision to eliminate February vacation, we all acknowledge that this decision comes with pros and cons. The Current Wave staff encourages the School Committee to consider all of these potential effects when crafting future school calendars, and we hope that they will take the time next year to observe the results, both positive and negative, of their decision. In regards to whether or not the benefits of eliminating February vacation truly outweigh the drawbacks, only time will tell.

In the meantime, enjoy your February vacations, kids, because this year’s break will be your last.

Opinions of staff members on The Current Wave:

Eliminate February vacation and extend summer by one week – 37.5%

Keep February vacation and existing district calendar – 25%

Unsure / neutral – 37.5%