Baltimore County School Board Approves 2017–2018 Academic Calendar

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — The Baltimore County Board of Education approved a calendar for the 2017–2018 academic year meeting the governor's mandate that schools start after Labor Day. Students will notice their spring break has been abbreviated to what one PTA official said was "a long weekend."

The changes came in response to Gov. Larry Hogan's executive order, signed in September, that Maryland schools start the Tuesday after Labor Day and end by June 15.

To meet the mandate, Baltimore County schools will recess for two days for spring break.

Schools will be closed Friday, March 30, and reopen Tuesday, April 3, 2018.

John Kantorski, PTA vice president at Chapel Hill Elementary in Perry Hall, said making spring break "just a long weekend" would benefit parents.

Speaking before the board just prior to its vote on the calendar, Kantorski said the shift meant "trading spring break for summer break," which was helpful for those requiring child care because there were many summer camps and not so many spring break camps.

Several people asked the school board for days off to recognize various religious observances, from Rosh Hashanah to the Chinese Lunar New Year to Islamic holidays.

"We’re handcuffed very substantially by the education article," school board vice chair Edward J. Gilliss said, explaining certain winter holidays were required by the state.

By law, Maryland students must be in school for 180 days of the year, so officials had to ensure they met the required instruction time and were in accordance with Hogan's order in coming up with their calendar.

There were a variety of "competing forces that the governor has made us struggle with," Gilliss said, including inclement weather days and professional development days. "We don't have a lot of flexibility left..."

Classes in Baltimore County Public Schools will begin Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, and will end June 15, 2018, based on the calendar that the school board approved at Wednesday's meeting.

See the new Baltimore County Public Schools calendar for the 2017—2018 academic year.

See Also:

• Maryland Schools Shuffle Calendars to Meet Post Labor Day Start Date
• Governor Hogan Orders No School Before Labor Day

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