Next year's calendar has school on December 23, 2025 and has only 1 free emergency day built in-180 requirement issues

[Anonymous]

Because that's a Tuesday expect many absences on Dec 22/23.
Next year's calendar has the perfect storm of challenges: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Diwali (new), Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha all land on otherwise school days and unlike this year none coincide with a quarter end. Yom Kippur 2024 was on a Saturday, Lunar New Year and Eid al-Fitr 2025 double up with Grading days but there is no such luxury next year leading to 3 extra days off and Diwali makes that 4.
Without any other tweaks there is the battle of starting a mini week on undesirable dates on Monday the 22nd either in December or June.
They could move the new transition day to the week before school to build a day in and adjust the calendar to avoid the low attendance days in late December but there would not be any freebies for cancelations. If the PD day in October is moved from the 17th to the 20th doubling with Diwali that would help but that is not much cushion in most years especially in brutal winters.

What needs to happen is for Maryland to join other states like neighboring Virginia and tweak the school calendar law to allow flexibility while still having a similar sized school year.
A. Schools must schedule 180 days but up to four free cancelations can occur before any makeup days are needed.
B. Up to 4 professional development days count towards the 180 day requirement (if there are 3 or less more student days are required)
C. 180 Day Hours equivalent {Some states including Virginia, Georgia, Florida have this option. (For Virginia it's 990 hours)}

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because that's a Tuesday expect many absences on Dec 22/23.
Next year's calendar has the perfect storm of challenges: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Diwali (new), Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha all land on otherwise school days and unlike this year none coincide with a quarter end. Yom Kippur 2024 was on a Saturday, Lunar New Year and Eid al-Fitr 2025 double up with Grading days but there is no such luxury next year leading to 3 extra days off and Diwali makes that 4.
Without any other tweaks there is the battle of starting a mini week on undesirable dates on Monday the 22nd either in December or June.
They could move the new transition day to the week before school to build a day in and adjust the calendar to avoid the low attendance days in late December but there would not be any freebies for cancelations. If the PD day in October is moved from the 17th to the 20th doubling with Diwali that would help but that is not much cushion in most years especially in brutal winters.

What needs to happen is for Maryland to join other states like neighboring Virginia and tweak the school calendar law to allow flexibility while still having a similar sized school year.
A. Schools must schedule 180 days but up to four free cancelations can occur before any makeup days are needed.
B. Up to 4 professional development days count towards the 180 day requirement (if there are 3 or less more student days are required)
C. 180 Day Hours equivalent {Some states including Virginia, Georgia, Florida have this option. (For Virginia it's 990 hours)}

What really needs to happen is MD stops requiring Easter Monday off, which is useless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because that's a Tuesday expect many absences on Dec 22/23.
Next year's calendar has the perfect storm of challenges: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Diwali (new), Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha all land on otherwise school days and unlike this year none coincide with a quarter end. Yom Kippur 2024 was on a Saturday, Lunar New Year and Eid al-Fitr 2025 double up with Grading days but there is no such luxury next year leading to 3 extra days off and Diwali makes that 4.
Without any other tweaks there is the battle of starting a mini week on undesirable dates on Monday the 22nd either in December or June.
They could move the new transition day to the week before school to build a day in and adjust the calendar to avoid the low attendance days in late December but there would not be any freebies for cancelations. If the PD day in October is moved from the 17th to the 20th doubling with Diwali that would help but that is not much cushion in most years especially in brutal winters.

What needs to happen is for Maryland to join other states like neighboring Virginia and tweak the school calendar law to allow flexibility while still having a similar sized school year.
A. Schools must schedule 180 days but up to four free cancelations can occur before any makeup days are needed.
B. Up to 4 professional development days count towards the 180 day requirement (if there are 3 or less more student days are required)
C. 180 Day Hours equivalent {Some states including Virginia, Georgia, Florida have this option. (For Virginia it's 990 hours)}

What really needs to happen is MD stops requiring Easter Monday off, which is useless.

Yeah, that should be a no-brainer. And I'm a Christian so not sure why Easter Monday is still needed.

[Anonymous]

Anyone notice the week of memorial day in 2026? They have memorial day Monday off and then back at school on Tuesday and then off again on Wednesday. WTF?

[Anonymous]

Yeah...my high schooler doesn't like to miss school but so far he does very well with making up work (was sick a lot last year).

We will almost definitely miss the 23rd (maybe even the 22nd) and that Tuesday in May (which may be a weird testing day anyway, HS always has so much undocumented time off in May).

[Anonymous]

I wish all those religious/cultural days off were school days and also excused absences for those observing. It really would nicer to have a long winter break.

I also wish MD would get rid of the Monday after Easter.

And we fall into one of those groups!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish all those religious/cultural days off were school days and also excused absences for those observing. It really would nicer to have a long winter break.

I also wish MD would get rid of the Monday after Easter.

And we fall into one of those groups!

Excused absences are still terrible. They are only required to give you an extra day to make up all the work. That may not fit with other activities and other assignments due.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone notice the week of memorial day in 2026? They have memorial day Monday off and then back at school on Tuesday and then off again on Wednesday. WTF?

It’s Eid on Wednesday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish all those religious/cultural days off were school days and also excused absences for those observing. It really would nicer to have a long winter break.

I also wish MD would get rid of the Monday after Easter.

And we fall into one of those groups!

That's a terrible idea. Semi-religious people will send their kids to school because missing a day of school is worse than taking a day off - Cultural Jew who'd be pissed sending her kids to school on Rosh Hashanah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish all those religious/cultural days off were school days and also excused absences for those observing. It really would nicer to have a long winter break.

I also wish MD would get rid of the Monday after Easter.

And we fall into one of those groups!

I think the entire reason they require that is because some places like MC always schedule SB to be the week before Easter regardless of weather Easter is in the 3rd MP or 4th MP. There would probably be many people out that Monday not for celebration but for travel. SB should be secularized to a specific time on the calendar "1st week after 3rd MP ends" or "1st or 2nd full week of April" unless that Easter would be 1 week after SB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because that's a Tuesday expect many absences on Dec 22/23.
Next year's calendar has the perfect storm of challenges: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Diwali (new), Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha all land on otherwise school days and unlike this year none coincide with a quarter end. Yom Kippur 2024 was on a Saturday, Lunar New Year and Eid al-Fitr 2025 double up with Grading days but there is no such luxury next year leading to 3 extra days off and Diwali makes that 4.
Without any other tweaks there is the battle of starting a mini week on undesirable dates on Monday the 22nd either in December or June.
They could move the new transition day to the week before school to build a day in and adjust the calendar to avoid the low attendance days in late December but there would not be any freebies for cancelations. If the PD day in October is moved from the 17th to the 20th doubling with Diwali that would help but that is not much cushion in most years especially in brutal winters.

What needs to happen is for Maryland to join other states like neighboring Virginia and tweak the school calendar law to allow flexibility while still having a similar sized school year.
A. Schools must schedule 180 days but up to four free cancelations can occur before any makeup days are needed.
B. Up to 4 professional development days count towards the 180 day requirement (if there are 3 or less more student days are required)
C. 180 Day Hours equivalent {Some states including Virginia, Georgia, Florida have this option. (For Virginia it's 990 hours)}

Why do you want to desperately get rid of instruction time for students?

[Anonymous]

If they start a week early in August they can do all religious holidays and 2 weeks off in winter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they start a week early in August they can do all religious holidays and 2 weeks off in winter.

Sure, but they already decided they didn't want to do either of those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because that's a Tuesday expect many absences on Dec 22/23.
Next year's calendar has the perfect storm of challenges: Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Diwali (new), Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha all land on otherwise school days and unlike this year none coincide with a quarter end. Yom Kippur 2024 was on a Saturday, Lunar New Year and Eid al-Fitr 2025 double up with Grading days but there is no such luxury next year leading to 3 extra days off and Diwali makes that 4.
Without any other tweaks there is the battle of starting a mini week on undesirable dates on Monday the 22nd either in December or June.
They could move the new transition day to the week before school to build a day in and adjust the calendar to avoid the low attendance days in late December but there would not be any freebies for cancelations. If the PD day in October is moved from the 17th to the 20th doubling with Diwali that would help but that is not much cushion in most years especially in brutal winters.

What needs to happen is for Maryland to join other states like neighboring Virginia and tweak the school calendar law to allow flexibility while still having a similar sized school year.
A. Schools must schedule 180 days but up to four free cancelations can occur before any makeup days are needed.
B. Up to 4 professional development days count towards the 180 day requirement (if there are 3 or less more student days are required)
C. 180 Day Hours equivalent {Some states including Virginia, Georgia, Florida have this option. (For Virginia it's 990 hours)}

Smarts. Kids are falling behind, so let's get rid of school days.

[Anonymous]

I just pull my kids when we need to (usually just a couple of days before winter break and maybe a couple of days around Memorial Day). So far neither DC has ever had trouble turning in what was required or having it accepted. BUT, oldest is in MS. I assume HS is much, much more strict and plan to respect that as best I can.