School Start Date: AACPS Prepares To Settle Debate, Pick Calendar

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The Anne Arundel County Board of Education is grappling with a few scheduling debates. Should schools start before or after Labor Day? Should students have off on Eid al-Fitr?

Those questions will be answered at this week's school board meeting. Board members will vote on which calendar option to use for the 2021 to 2022 school year.

The choices are fairly similar. They all have the same six school days off for winter and spring breaks. They also have the same three school days off for fall break.

They differ, however, in their:

• Start dates
• End dates
• Observation of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr
• Time allotted for parent-teacher conferences
• Number of professional development days
• Number of built-in snow days

These are the five schedule options. Two start before Labor Day. Three begin after. Three give students, but not teachers, off on Eid al-Fitr. Two do not.

Labor Day is on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. Eid al-Fitr is on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Regardless of whether schools are closed on Eid al-Fitr, observing students and teachers may take off without penalty.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools surveyed employees, students and families on their preferences. More than 15,000 people chimed in. Here's what they thought:

• 17 percent said school should always start before Labor Day
• 44 percent said school should always start after Labor Day
• 39 percent said it should depend on the year

Respondents were more torn on the overall start and end dates. Many people were opposed to an early return, but they seemed to reconsider when they realized it also meant an early finish.

• 49 percent preferred the Monday, Aug. 30, 2021 to Tuesday, June 14, 2022 schedule
• 51 percent preferred the Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021 to Tuesday, June 21, 2022 schedule

The survey did not list an option that included Eid al-Fitr. The survey results are posted here. The five potential schedules are available at this link. Head to this webpage to read the press release announcing the vote.

The meeting starts Wednesday at 6 p.m. It will be streamed via Comcast and Broadstripe on Channel 96, Verizon on Channel 36 and the internet on Anne Arundel County Public Schools' YouTube channel.

Follow this link to learn how to testify at the meeting. To catch up on the latest coronavirus trends in Anne Arundel County, read Patch's latest update.

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Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.