Welcoming our new teachers
A great addition to Greenfield High
TO DOVER-SHERBORN STUDENTS, FAMILIES & STAFF MEMBERS
January 11, 2024
This document is intended to provide an overview of the objectives, process undergone and findings of the Calendar Task Force in anticipation of a second community survey that will be distributed the week of January 15th.
CALENDAR TASK FORCE OVERVIEW
Some Dover-Sherborn students, parents/caregivers and educators have expressed interest in updating the school calendar to be more inclusive of the various holidays and traditions observed by and celebrated within our community.
As a result, the Dover, Sherborn, and Dover-Sherborn Regional School Committees convened a task force to conduct research and bring forth proposals for possible implementation during the 2024-25 school year. The goals of the Calendar Task Force include:
Maintaining academic excellence and the continuity of learning for all students.
Providing opportunities for students to learn about various holidays/observances throughout the school year.
Honoring the diverse religious and cultural practices of community members.
Adhering to state and federal regulations relative to mandated holidays and instructional time.
Over multiple meetings, the Calendar Task Force has engaged in the analysis of data and information relative to:
Student, family and staff demographics and priorities relative to the school calendar.
Student and staff attendance rates on holidays on which school is in session.
Celebrations and rituals for each of the community-identified holidays/observances and the types of accommodations students, families and staff may need as a result (no homework, an early release day, a full day off from school, etc.).
School calendars of comparable districts and those we compete with via sports and extracurricular activities.
The impact of additional no-school days on the length of the school year and the schedules/child-care needs of families.
STATE/FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS
Elementary students are required to have a minimum of 900 hours of instruction per year.
Secondary students are required to have a minimum of 990 hours of instruction per year.
School calendars must include a minimum of 180 school days.
The school year cannot extend beyond June 30.
Federally mandated holidays that require a day off from school include: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day.
COMMUNITY SURVEY RESULTS
In total there were 845 respondents, including 204 students, 499 parents/caregivers and 142 staff members.
Students prioritized honoring diversity, representation and inclusivity in the school calendar; families prioritized the continuity of learning with the fewest interruptions possible; staff prioritized securing the earliest possible last day of school with the other two factors close behind.
Students indicated stress and tension as a result of having to choose between their faith/family/culture and school when school is in session on a holiday they observe; more than half choose to attend school anyway.
INITIAL FINDINGS
Based on the analysis of survey data, regardless of how the district structures its calendar, the Dover-Sherborn community feels it is important to:
Educate students about various holidays as they occur throughout the year.
Ensure students and faculty adhere to school committee policies relative to attendance and coursework on/around various holidays.
Consider the impact of scheduled athletic events and extracurricular activities on/around various holidays.
Based on the review of calendars from comparable districts, there are significant variations in holidays/observances that are recognized with days off from school. For example:
PROPOSALS
No Holidays - Remove all non-federally mandated holidays from the calendar and provide students/staff with accommodations for holidays/observances as needed per district policy. (Note: This provides equity as no non-mandated holidays are recognized with a day off from school. Concord-Carlisle made this change a few years ago.)
Status Quo - Maintain the current calendar which recognizes all federally mandated holidays plus Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, the Day Before Christmas and Good Friday. Provide students/staff with accommodations for additional holidays/observances as needed per district policy.
Add Diwali, Lunar New Year and Eid Al-Fidr - Maintain the current calendar which recognizes all federally mandated holidays plus Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, the Day Before Christmas and Good Friday AND add Diwali, Lunar New Year and Eid Al-Fitr as a days off from school. Provide students/staff with accommodations for additional holidays/observances as needed per district policy. (Note: Beyond the holidays included in our current calendar, Lunar New Year, Diwali and Eid Al-Fitr are the next most frequently requested by the community to be recognized with days off from school. Some comparable districts have incorporated all three, including Acton-Boxborough, Hopkinton, Natick and Wellesley.)
In projecting the impact of additional no-school days over the next 10 years, given that holidays sometimes fall on weekends or school vacations, in all but one of the 10 years (2031-2032), the addition of Diwali, Lunar New Year and Eid Al-Fidr only extend the school year by one or two days. Within this 10 year period, with the addition of three no-school days, the last day of school would range from June 18-23 (assuming no snow days), while recognizing that Juneteenth (6/19) is a federal holiday and therefore a day off from school.
Should the committees decide to remove all non-mandated holidays and create a secular calendar, over the next ten years the last day of school would range from June 10-June 16 (assuming no snow days).
A separate question remains around whether to continue to recognize Good Friday with a full day off from school since it is not federally mandated and does not require rituals/observances during school hours.
It should also be noted that the school committees have the authority to decide when any vacation begins/ends. Therefore, while a secular calendar would not recognize Christmas Eve as a day off from school, the school committees may opt to begin the holiday break on December 23rd or 24th regardless. The initial calendar survey indicated strong community support for starting December vacation on/before the 24th, not necessarily for religious reasons, but rather to extend the break; this information will be relayed to the committees when making their decision.
NEXT STEPS
Feedback will be collected from students, families and staff via Calendar Feedback Form #2; an email with a link to the survey will be sent on Monday, January 15th. The purpose of this survey is advisory in nature - it is not a vote.
The Calendar Task Force will take any/all data collected under advisement when deciding which proposal(s) to send forth to the three school committees at their joint meeting on January 30.
CALENDAR TASK FORCE MEMBERS
Marina Baklanova (parent); Renee Grady (educator); Beth Hecker (educator); Kelly Hodge (educator); Fiona Hu (parent); Zahra Ishikawa (parent); Keith Kaplan (educator); Beth McCoy (administrator); Andrea Moran (educator); Judi Miller (Regional School Committee); Deb Reinemann (administrator); Goli Sepehr (Dover School Committee); Tracy Sockolasky (administrator); Parag Tandon (parent); Christine Walsh (Sherborn School Committee); 6 High School Students