SALISBURY – School officials in Wicomico County last week agreed to a revised school calendar that would move the end of the academic year to June 12, pending approval from the state board.
Last week, the Wicomico County Board of Education voted 6-0, with member Ann Suthowski absent, to approve a revised calendar for the current academic year and to submit a waiver request for five missed days of school related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, the school board approved a 2019-2020 academic year calendar that began on Sept. 3 and ended on June 10. When school closed in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, students missed nine instructional days.
To that end, the board voted last week to alter the school calendar, with the last day of school now being Friday, June 12, pending approval from the Maryland State Department of Education.
“By adding two days to the end of the calendar, and turning April 3rd and April 28th into instructional days, we were able to ask the state to waive the remaining five days of closure,” Superintendent Donna Hanlin said in a written message to families and staff last week. “We anticipate an answer to our waiver request soon. For teachers, the last day would now be Tuesday, June 16th. Report cards would be mailed June 19th.”
Hanlin added, “While students and teachers continue with instruction, our schools and our school system are intensely focused on planning for online summer activities as well as adjustments that might be needed in order for classes to resume in our schools at the end of the summer.”
