The TPS District School Calendar
January 2023
Q & A the Calendar Creation Process
The following Question and Answer (Q & A) Document was created to answer common questions about our calendar creation process.
1) Q: What is the purpose of the district calendar?
A: There are four main purposes to the creation of a district calendar. Legal requirements to maximize student learning needs, family communication, contractual compliance, and regional alignment.
- LEGAL COMPLIANCE- The district establish the dates for when the school year starts and ends, which is required by state law.
- OUR FAMILIES- Publishing the district calendar is a communication tool for our families so that they can thoughtfully plan family events and vacations around school days and important events for their children.
- CONTRACTUAL COMPLIANCE- In addition, the development of the school year calendar is subject to bargaining with unions and certain calendar rules are outlined collective bargaining agreement with the staff that help make our school run.
- REGIONAL ALIGNMENT- Lastly, school district seek to maintain alignment with neighboring districts in-as-so-far is possible.
2) Q: Who plans the calendar and provides input on the dates and events listed on the calendar?
A: The District Calendar Committee is made up of a diverse group of key stakeholders that review state laws, previous calendars, multiple regional calendars, requests from the school community, and vote to recommend the school district calendar first to the Superintendent of schools and then to the Board of Education for approval. The calendar committee includes a representative from the:
- Trumbull Board of Education
- TPS Parent and Teacher Association Council (PTAC),
- Trumbull Community
- Trumbull Education Association (TEA)
- Trumbull Administrators Association (TAA)
- Trumbull Secretaries Union
- Trumbull Nursing Union
- Trumbull High School Student Board of Education Representatives
- TPS Central Office Cabinet Designee
3) Q: Why does the school district plan the calendar two years in advance?
A: The adoption of the calendar for two school years will allow for the development of individual school schedules and courses; allows the District to begin staffing for the upcoming school years; enables the District to schedule future professional development; allow persons and organizations providing supporting services to plan and schedule their services; and allows families and staff members to schedule family activities outside of school time.
3) Q: Is the calendar approved by the Board of Education?
A: Yes, the district level calendar, developed by the District Committee, and reviewed and recommended by the Superintendent, is then reviewed and approved by the Board and posted on our district webpage.
4) Q: Are there other calendars and dates besides the district level calendar?
A: Yes, the district develops several additional calendars to support athletics and building based programming. These building specific dates can be found on the calendar maintained at each building website and are posted to our main website as well.
5) Q: Why doesn't the school have a February Break like some other school districts?
A: The committee discussed having a February Break last year and voted against it. There was concern that if we have considerable inclement weather it would cause the school year to stretch until the end of June which can be hot and uncomfortable in unairconditioned facilities. When surveying regional calendars, many of our neighboring districts also do not have a February Break.
6) Q: I am concerned that a holiday our family celebrates is not on the school calendar. If my children are absent when school is in session, will they be penalized?
A: According to the State Board of Education, student absences due to observance of a religious holiday are to be excused. Our teachers are committed to working with students to be sure that absences due to religious holiday observances have as little impact as possible.
7) Q: It appears that there are several religious holidays and cultural observances that have not been added the school calendar. Were they discussed by the last committee?
A: Yes, the committee discussed several religious and cultural holidays and decided that adding additional Holidays in combination with potential closures due to weather would extend the school year too late into June. Additionally, the idea that some religions may not be recognized and feel left out was also discussed; Orthodox religions, for example, may have different observation dates. Specifically, the Christian celebration of Three Kings Day, the Muslim Holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Ahmad and the Hindu Holiday of Diwali were discussed. Lastly, the recognition of Indigenous People's Day in conjunction with Columbus Day was also discussed.
8) Q: Why wasn't Juneteenth discussed when the current calendars were created?
A: This recognition was not discussed because the federal legislation regarding Juneteenth was passed after the district committee created the calendar. Right now, it is scheduled to occur after our 2022-2023 school year has finished.
9) Q: How do parents get to have input on the district calendar?
A: A parent representative is on the committee, but there are other ways that families can provide input as well. The district will be conducting a survey regarding our upcoming calendar for all stakeholders.
10)Q: What if my family wants to take vacation at a time that school is in session? How does the district calendar account for family vacations?
A: The district expectation is that families will take vacation at times in which school is not in session. Research shows that absences add up and that good attendance is essential to student achievement and graduation. In contrast, missing too much school (chronic absence and truancy) can lead to school drop-out, academic failure and juvenile delinquency. State law requires school districts and schools to have specific policies and procedures regarding students who are truant. A truant is defined as a student who has has 4 unexcused absences from school in one month (30 consecutive calendar days) or 10 unexcused absences in one school year. For more information on state laws connected to attendance, please click here.