Parents will be asked their opinion on whether Aiken County schools should move to a modified calendar in the 2022-2023 school year.
Members of the Board of Education heard a presentation from Superintendent King Laurence at the Jan. 11 regular meeting.
The modified calendar would still have students in school 180 days and teachers working 190 days. The change would be how those days are distributed through the year.
MORE: Aiken County students may have new calendar in next school year
The modified calendar shows Aug. 1 as the first day of school. The Thanksgiving and winter breaks remain the same.
The difference is an additional break in the fall and extending an existing break. The calendar lists a fall break Oct. 3-to-14. It extends the spring break, starting it on March 27 and running through April 7.
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Laurence said about 82% of teachers responded to an online survey. Parents, guardians, students and all district staff also responded.
“Parents, it was somewhat less 32.7% of our parents responded to it. Most of the stakeholder groups believe that this is a good idea,” Laurence said.
The superintendent said a number of respondents wanted additional information. One of those, John Pettigrew, spoke to the board and asked a series of questions.
“One thing I think we need to consider is the impact on summer jobs for students. Many students like to work during the summertime,” he began. “How’s it going to impact childcare for people to arrange childcare more often than they normally would have to do? How about sports practices and sports games? How will people get back and forth to practice and to games, that they would normally be at school for during these breaks, and with other schools and districts having different schedules. How’s all that going to line up?”
After hearing Laurence’s presentation, school board members began asking questions of their own.
“What about special needs students who thrive on routine,” asked District 7 representative Patrice Rhinehart-Jackson. “And during the week that you’ve mentioned, where students can get one on one attention from teachers? What is the mode transportation? Will parents have to bring their students in, or will we provide bus transportation?”
District 5 board member Barry Moulton asked if the district would be locked into the new calendar.
“If it doesn’t go well, can it be reversed or changed? Is that another action that we would take in the future,” he asked?
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The superintendent explained the board would retain to change the calendar for future years if the modified calendar was not a good fit.
District 2 board member Jason Crane asked about the potential impact on child custody and visitation schedules.
“For me, that’s one of the biggest concerns,” he said. “We can’t dictate to a court anywhere, especially if it’s the court decree from another state that might not care that Aiken County adjusted our schedule. I
think we just have to be very sensitive to that. I don’t know the answer to that. But I don’t want to be too dismissive of that.”
Sandra Shealy from District 1 was the first to suggest the district should schedule at least one town hall meeting to allow parents the chance to hear more about the proposal and ask questions.
Board Chairman Dr. John Bradley supported the idea of a town hall meeting. He also suggested sending a survey home with students so parents could give their opinions and ask questions.
The board decided to schedule two town hall meetings and send a survey home for parents to fill out. Dates for the meetings have not yet been set.
Superintendent Laurence said the board would need to decide on whether to go with the modified calendar no later than the Jan. 25 regular meeting to be able to institute it in the 2022-2023 school year.
Additional information and a list of frequently asked questions is available on the school district website.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
