On April 3, the Board of Education unanimously approved June 12 as the date for the Newtown Middle School moving up ceremony, and June 13 for the Newtown High School graduation day, with June 14 as the rain date for the graduation.

During the same meeting, board member Janet Kuzma moved the board approve an adjustment in the school calendar for the scheduled relocation of Hawley School educators back to their building — which Member Daniel Cruson seconded.

Before that motion was voted on, Superintendent of Schools Chris Melillo addressed the board and attendees to explain its reasoning. According to Melillo, the adjustment would cancel the final two school days on the Hawley calendar to allow for a move back to the school building after renovations.

If approved as proposed, Hawley teachers would pack on June 13 and moving vehicles would arrive the next day. The preschool would return to Sandy Hook School from its current placement at Head O’ Meadow School, and teachers placed at Sandy Hook School and Reed Intermediate School would return to their rooms at Hawley.

Students would have the option to go to the Newtown Community Center for programming during school hours on June 13 and 14 instead of reporting to class, or stay home. The first program would be a mad-science potion theme, and the second would be a safari theme with animal ambassadors, Melillo continued.

The superintendent said teachers will work their last contractual day of the current school year unpacking, but at a later date.

According to Melillo, all schools are required to be in session for 180 days, and Newtown usually goes for 182, which would allow an adjustment to be possible.

In his preface to the board and public attendees of the meetings, Melillo said there are “constraints around moving from three different buildings,” some financial, but mostly contractual.

Melillo said he doesn’t have the “ability to leverage” one or two more days to pack outside the teacher’s contract.

He said some of the professional development time allotted for the beginning of the last year was used to allow teachers to continue to unpack boxes. He discussed that Connecticut is requiring districts to implement a new reading program for next year, and Newtown will need that professional development time to “ensure that our teachers are ready to teach.”

“To be quite honest with you, we didn’t have a lot of choices in how we wanted to make it happen unless we were going to be content to start the school year in a situation where we were not ready,” Melillo said.

Melillo also said there had been feedback from the move out of Hawley before renovations, that students’ anxiety was becoming “heightened” when teachers packed during the half days. He said he wanted to keep anxiety “off students’ plates,” and asked the board to approve his plan.

A question from the board arose regarding possible transportation to the Newtown Community Center for those who choose to go. Melillo said the subcommittee is looking at possible transportation and that Hawley families may be surveyed to assess transportation needs.

The motion for the adjustment passed unanimously.

Reporter Noelle Veillette can be reached at noelle@thebee.com.