REGION — Nov. 30, school board members unanimously voted to replace snow days with instructional days.

Instructional days will consist of a project-based activity for students to work on throughout the day, according to Superintendent Dave Murphy.

“These will be different from typical remote learning days,” Murphy said. “Teachers will provide a check-in period sometime in the morning with students to make sure they understand the goals for the day.”

Murphy said the new instructional day plan is expected to be implemented this week. Instructional days are intended to replace all snow days, with the exception of days when there are major power outages. And unlike snow days, instructional days will not have to be made up in June.

When instructional days occur, the school would be responsible for sending home lunches for students ahead of time.

“It would be meaningful for the kids and would also give teachers time to focus on planning,” Murphy said.

In other news, Murphy informed the board that Honeywell International finished installing Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization technology in SAD 44 schools. The district used close to $500,000 of their COVID-19 relief money on the NBI devices.

Murphy said Transportation/Maintenance Supervisor Ron Deegan got a grant through Homeland Security for $4,688. The money was used to install four cameras at Woodstock Elementary School. Earlier this year, the district used money from the first phase of their COVID-19 relief funding to put in cameras in other SAD 44 schools.

“All school will have complete coverage wherever needed, both inside and outside the building,” Murphy said.

Murphy announced that the school’s National Honors Society prepared and delivered about 150 meals to senior citizens and had an additional 32 meals picked up. The NHS usually does a meal for senior citizens each year, but was forced to make significant changes because of the coronavirus.