BY KARISSA MILLER
The Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education delayed a vote on the school calendar last month because members could not decide whether to implement a calendar that violates North Carolina’s school calendar laws.
The school board is expected revisit this matter and adopt a calendar on Monday during their regular meeting at 6 p.m. at the Career Academy and Technical School, 350 Old Murdock Road in Troutman.
I-SS schools opened August 14 this year, which was not in line with North Carolina’s school calendar law. The law requires public schools to start “no earlier than the Monday closest to August 26 and end by the Friday closest to June 11.”
For the 2024-2025 school year, I-SS Director of Accountability, Testing and Student Information Laura Elliot presented two calendars for the board last month:
♦ Option 1: The school year will begin on August 12, 2024, and the last day of school would be May 23, 2025. The first semester would end prior to the winter break. Students would attend school for 176 days or 1,056 hours.
♦ Option 2: The start date would be August 26, 2024, and the last day of school would be June 10, 2025. The first semester would end after the winter break in mid-January. Students would attend school for a total of 179 days or 1,074 hours.
In the past, the district, with the support of the Iredell County Board of Commissioners, has requested that the General Assembly allow local boards of education authority to set their own school calendar.
School officials argue that existing state law forces students to take their final exams after winter break and causes misalignment for early college high school students.
OTHER BUSINESS
Also, during Monday’s meeting, the board will:
• Recognize Lake Norman High School cheerleading, South Iredell High School’s FFA students and North Iredell High School’s livestock evaluation; and
• Recognize schools that have met or exceeded growth
Follow the law.
I agree follow the law. If the school board will not follow the rules set by the state; how can they expect students to follow rules set by the school board? Also, who directed Ms. Elliott to present a calendar that was against the law in the first place?
What gives the district the right to break the law? The law is the law. It needs to be followed.
I wonder how many people who say not following the law sets a bad example for our students also exceed posted speed limits with those same students in the car, or text and drive, or talk on their phone while driving. While holding public officials to a standard is worthwhile, personal example is so much more important, and those sorts of behaviors are so much more a danger to our children.
Let the parents vote to decide the schedule they want.
Ed, we elect leaders to make these decisions. And once again our leaders have violated their oath and have broken the law. Any parent can sue the board to stop this.
I do not condone breaking the law; however, it’s best to have an earlier school start date so I would strongly vote for the August 14th start date.
Anonymous, you DO indeed condone breaking the law. You just admitted it! Adding in your “however” statement doesn’t change the law.
Current NC state law compels teachers to administer fall semester final exams after the Christmas holiday break, setting up the students for failure, and the law causes misalignment with college calendars. High school students that desire to enroll in early college classes may be at a disadvantage for a few reasons like transportation, for example. Option 1 was approved last night because it is in the best interest of the students. NC public schools have been ranked near the bottom of most lists for decades, yet proponents of this law want to enforce this calendar rule for the law’s sake – keeping NC at the bottom for decades to come.
A little information on the law. It was instituted many years ago at the behest of the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce. They lobbied the General Assembly so they could get a few more weeks of summer vacation money. It has nothing to do with the students!