All it took was a single snow day for last classes at Belmont’s six public schools to be dragged over a weekend.

Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan announced at the School Committee meeting held on Tuesday, April 9, the definitive final day of the 2018-2019 school year, no matter what weather related event – June snowstorm, a rain of frogs, – occurs over the next two months.

Naming the final day is, in fact, a state requirement per the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and has to be done in April. At the beginning of the school year, districts schedule 185 school days but only operate 180 of them during a school year.

With this year being “good year” in terms of snow days, Phelan declared Monday, June 17, as the official “school’s out” day in Belmont. If it hadn’t been for the “day off,” the year would have ended on Friday, June 14, sparing children from having to spend an almost summer weekend preparing for another trip to school.

At least that Monday will be a half day for students; not so for staff and educators.