The Board of Education of Frederick County is drafting two calendar options for the 2020-2021 school year. The Board is encouraging the FCPS community to comment on which calendar option they believe will be best. 

According to the FCPS website, “Each fall, FCPS staff works with a Calendar Committee to prepare calendar options for the next school year for the Board of Education’s review, modification and approval.”

There are multiple reasons for this calendar change option. But according to Brad Young, President of the Board of Education, the main reason is because “this year, with a change in the law, we’re allowed to look at any start date.” 

Beforehand, it was mandated by law to have each county in Maryland start after Labor day. Young says that “it is important to start before Labor Day because of how late Labor Day is this coming year.”

Young decided to take the community’s input on this decision because it “affects folks in the community.”  He wanted “to know what their opinion is on the subject.” 

The decision will affect everyone because “Many parents and staff make vacation schedules and need to know when school is going to start,” says Young. 

When asked if the Board will take the community’s advice on future decisions, Young said they “absolutely” will. Members of the FCPS community should look out for future opportunities to make an input, and let their voices be heard. 

Many members of the community have already input their opinion. Young has read “over 2000 emails,” each of which will be taken into consideration when making the final decision. 

Young does not have an opinion on which option is better, but says that “the objective is to have a calendar that is in the best interest of students.” FCPS student members will be taken into consideration first when deciding which calendar option to go with. 

According to the same document above, “The length of spring break, parent-teacher conference dates, teacher work days and a variety of other dates are subject to change from one school calendar to the next.” It is important to take these factors into account when deciding which calendar option you will suggest to the Board.