NEWARK – Changes to the school system’s adopted 2019-2020 academic calendar will give students an additional day off from school, but will push the tentative ending to the school year to June 16.
On Tuesday, Carrie Sterrs, the school system’s coordinator of public relations and special programs, presented the Worcester County Board of Education with a proposed modified school calendar for the 2019-2020 academic year.
“What we became aware of on Friday was that the primary election date that we had originally been provided with was incorrect …,” she said. “We originally had April 7 as a county-wide [professional development] day. It turns out that primary election day will actually be April 28.”
Sterrs said the modified calendar would designate April 28 as a professional development day – in which schools will be closed for students – and would make April 7 as a full closure day for all county schools.
“The superintendent has decided to make the 7th a full closure day,” she said. “In doing so, that bumps our end of the school year to the 16th of June.”
Sterrs noted the extended school calendar would not be an issue in the coming school year.
“We no longer have the restrictions of the post-Labor Day and June 15, deadline,” she said. “The state legislature has wiped that slate clean, so we don’t have issues with pushing the school year out to the 16th. And we also think it makes a more solid structure for final exams as well. Instead of it being that Friday and Monday, it will now be that Monday and Tuesday.”
With no further discussion, the school board unanimously approved a modified school calendar for the 2019-2020 academic year to accommodate the 2020 presidential primary.
The modified calendar still sets the first day of school as Sept. 3. Other noteworthy closures include a winter break from Dec. 23 through Jan. 3 and a spring break from April 6-13.
“We will communicate this out to all of our families as well,” Sterrs said.
Sterrs on Tuesday also informed the school board of a new tentative end date for the 2018-2019 academic year.
“We actually have only used two of our three inclement weather days this year …,” she said. “At this point in time, our last day of school will actually be June 12, as opposed to June 13 like we scheduled.”
