CARIBOU, Maine — The RSU 39 Board of Education recently approved harvest break statistics during a Dec. 4 meeting, finding that the number of students working during the break has remained relatively consistent with the past few years.
Roughly a quarter of the district’s students have worked directly for a farmer during harvest from 2016 to 2019.
The board began collecting statistics in 2016, shortly after Presque Isle school board members voted to no longer break for students during the harvest season in the fall.
Board member Ron Willey suggested establishing a “minimum participation rate” of roughly 15 percent before considering dropping the two-week break during last year’s meeting, adding that this could trigger a one-year period where school officials could then consider canceling harvest break.
Superintendent Tim Doak agreed, adding that if the percentage dipped below 15, school officials could open a dialogue with farmers about whether harvest break should continue.
The high school currently offers two weeks off for students to participate in harvest break, with five “flex days” for additional work if students provide a written note from their employer.
This year, 22 percent of students worked directly for a farmer compared to 22 percent last year, 18.1 percent in 2017 and 25.4 percent in 2016.
Additionally, 12.9 percent of students worked for more than 10 days this year, whereas this percentage was a bit lower at 12.2 last year. In 2017, 13.6 percent worked for more than 10 days, and the percentage was 15.5 in 2016.
This year, 10.5 percent of students missed more than one day of school during the break, a percentage that was significantly lower in previous years. Last year, 5.1 percent missed work whereas the percentage in 2017 was 7.7 and 5.8 in 2016.
The survey concluded that these statistics are “relatively consistent with the three previous years,” adding that there was a “slight increase in the number of students that needed additional days to work,” which was primarily related to the weather.
