OAKLAND, NJ — Families with children in Oakland's K-8 schools and the regional high school district may want to compare calendars: Five weekdays do not line up this school year.
Both districts open Tuesday, September 8, and share weeklong February and April recesses. The differences appear on Election Day, when Oakland K-8 students are off, Eid al-Fitr, when Ramapo Indian Hills is closed, and the June primary, when Oakland students are off.
Ramapo Indian Hills also ends classes Thursday, June 24. Oakland K-8 students continue Friday and return for their final day Monday.
For families, those gaps could mean coordinating rides, supervision, work schedules or the start of summer, even though both children attend public schools serving Oakland. That makes advance planning especially important for Oakland households.
Local boards set their calendars while meeting New Jersey's 180-day threshold for state aid. Oakland's planning calendar lists 183 possible student days, allowing three weather closures, while Ramapo Indian Hills lists 182.
Both districts may reclaim April vacation days after excessive emergency closings. A pending state bill would ask the education commissioner to recommend spring-break dates, but it would not require districts to follow them, and Oakland's two districts already share the same spring break.
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