While the schedule is already official for the 2020-2021 school year, barring any adjustments made necessary by COVID-19, the Henry County Board of Education is already looking farther ahead.
Drafts of school calendars for 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 were presented by Dr. Carl Knowlton, the district’s chief of staff, at the school board’s April 20 study session and will be out for public review and comment until May 8. The board is expected to take action on the proposed calendars at its May 11 meeting.
Key dates are similar for both years, with the first day of class scheduled for the first Wednesday in August and the last day the Friday before Memorial Day. As is the case for more than a decade, there will be a week-long break in the middle of September and an entire week out of school for Thanksgiving. Students will be dismissed the Wednesday before Christmas and not return to class until the second Monday of January. Presidents Day will start a week-long winter break in February, and a week of spring break is on the calendar for April.
Both calendars call for 178 student days, with three more early release days for students in kindergarten through ninth grade than in previous years. Knowlton reported that these were included in the calendars “in an effort to increase connectivity with families specific to a student’s academic progress and performance” and “to enable face-to-face or virtual parent teacher conferences for all parents” of students in those grades. Those dates are in October of each school year.
Also presented at the April meeting and now out for public review and comment is a list of modifications to the district’s code of conduct. According to the report presented by district chief school leadership officer Kirk Shrum, the revised code includes a new section that provides specific consequences for vaping. This comes in response to considerable concerns raised by district officials and parents alike regarding the rise in vaping among students.
Input from bus drivers was sought during the revision process, and the proposed new code of conduct has improved early response to bus drivers regarding bus conduct along with strengthened consequences for bus conduct, Shrum said.
Some new flexibility has also been added to the code with regard to minor offenses, starting with what officials have designated “level 1” offenses and progressing from there. There is clearer alignment for consequences with age appropriateness.
As with the proposed calendars, this item will be recommended to the board for approval at its May 11 meeting. Ongoing professional development will be provided to schools’ administrators to ensure understanding and consistent application of the policies, Shrum said.
A number of other policy adjustments were approved at the April meeting regarding career, technical and agricultural education programs; values/character education; summer school; remedial programs; gifted student programs; scheduling for instruction; community instructional resources; charter schools; grading systems; and instructional materials selection and adoption.
