Approval of the School Year Calendar

Policy

The school year calendar is the calendar that is used by the majority of district schools that follow the September through June instructional year. 

The Board of Trustees believes that a consistent school calendar should be used by schools offering instruction during the September through June time period. This allows the majority of the District's students to start and end the school year and to be dismissed for major recesses on the same dates. (, while still allowing schools some discretion in scheduling and identifying professional development days and days-in-lieu).* See Addendum 1  

(Whereas)* [T]he Board believes that it is ideal for students to commence their instruction on the Tuesday after Labour Day. (, there will be years in which the number of available instructional days during the September through June timeframe may preclude this.  In such years the Board will endeavour to ensure that instruction commences after August 31).* See Addendum 2

The Board believes that parents, students, staff and community need to be made aware of future planned school calendars to allow time to appropriately plan ahead to ensure that students are given the optimum opportunity to access instruction. During each school year, the Board shall: 

1. Approve an additional school year calendar, thereby giving staff, students, parents and the public access to approved school year calendars for two years after the current school year.
   
   
2. Approve any changes to any previously-approved school year calendar made necessary by information not available at the time the calendar was approved. 

Should circumstances arise at a school where the approved calendar does not meet the school's needs, the Superintendent of Schools is given the authority to modify the school calendar for that school on an annual basis.

NOTE:   The 2012-2016 Teachers’ Collective Agreement contains a Letter of Understanding (LOU) – Pilot Project on Revised School Calendar that provides for piloting a revised district calendar for 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.  The LOU has some requirements that take precedence over existing board policy and administrative regulations for the duration of the pilot project.  Italicized text in parenthesis and noted by an asterisk * and corresponding numbered addendum is suspended for the duration of the pilot.

*Addendum 1:    Effective August 31, 2014 to August 31, 2016, the italicized text in this section is suspended.

The LOU provides for centrally set dates for professional development and days in recognition of duties for reporting of student achievement. 

*Addendum 2:   Effective August 31, 2014 to August 31, 2016, the italicized text in this section is suspended.

The LOU requires that classes start after Labour Day and therefore the option to start instruction prior to Labour Day, if needed, is suspended. 

References