First Day Of School In Rhode Island Moved To Sept. 14

PROVIDENCE, RI — The first day of school has been pushed off two weeks in Rhode Island, allowing districts more time to prepare for a safe return to school.

In a letter to district leaders, Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green announced the new calendar. Teachers will return for professional development days Sept. 9-11 ahead of the first day for students on Sept. 14. The last day of school is scheduled for June 25.

Students will end the year with 177 instructional days and teachers will have 180 days.

"These changes have created five additional planning days between August 31 and September 8 for your teams to use in ensuring you are ready for whichever scenario we use on the first day of school — from full in-person to full distance learning, as well as to continue to work with and gather input from your school communities," Infante-Green said in the letter.

The final decision on school reopening plans is now expected the week of Aug. 31.

"We have adjusted the calendar to give us all time to get reopening right," the commissioner continued. "We urge you to press forward with all your planning efforts on the same timeline you are on now, including developing your detailed operational plans, and use the additional planning time to work through implementation issues."

Infante-Green and Gov. Gina Raimondo will discuss the adjusted timeline during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.