Worcester County parents are currently being asked to weigh in on proposed calendar options for the 2016-2017 school year via the school system’s website at www.worcesterk12.com.
Normally, this is a mundane affair, but it’s not this year for several reasons. It’s actually an important exercise for local parents and worthy of the several minutes it takes to complete.
First, in keeping with a concerted effort from the Board of Education and individual schools, it’s online only this year for the first time and that typically means responses will be reduced the first year. The county school system has been working to get the word out through the press and local tourism organizations as well as its automated messaging program.
Additionally, it’s important for parents to confirm their position and show support for the Board of Education’s recent stance to not start school before Labor Day.
For the sake of gauging interest, one of the three calendar options features a late August start date for schools while the other two are post-Labor Day starts. The post-holiday school calendar options only vary slightly, but they deserve a detailed review and support, depending on individual views on the specific allocation of days off.
If Worcester County parents do not support the post-Labor Day start, as they have previously, legislation seeking a state mandate will suffer a major setback because Worcester has shown its schools can continue to excel and thrive while going back in September instead of mid-August like so many others do.
The question for parents is: do you support starting schools the day after Labor Day in exchange for going a week later in June?
That’s essentially the bottom line here with these calendar options. We think it’s worth giving up a week in June to get an extra week at the end of August. A majority of Worcester County parents seem to agree, according to recent calendar surveys, but they need to again express their position.
A low response rate could result in the majority opinion not being accurately relayed, and we encourage local parents to let their voices be heard before Jan. 29. We hope it’s for one of the post-Labor Day start calendars.