Baltimore County School Board Hears Public Comment About 2020 School Start Date
TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) -- Should school start before or after Labor Day Weekend?
The debate continued Tuesday night for Baltimore County Public Schools, as parents took to the microphone at a school board meeting to argue whether or not school should start before or after Labor Day Weekend.
In 2020, Labor Day falls on Sept. 7. The Baltimore County School Board is considering three different options:
- Students can start school on August 31 and end as early as June 11, depending on snow days.
- A post-Labor Day start with a shortened spring break, ending the year between June 15-22.
- A post-Labor Day start with a full spring break, ending the year between June 21-28.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has long been a proponent of starting school after Labor Day- but in Baltimore County, the opinions vary.
Donyelle Brown has two kids who graduated from Baltimore County Public Schools. She says whichever option is chosen, there's going to have to be a compromise.
"If they need to start before Labor Day then you have to give kids and families an incentive to make that change," Brown said.
Business owners like Bill Paulshock said the best choice is giving students a shorter spring break so they can get a head start on summer jobs.
"We employee over 1,200 some students and teachers," Paulshock said. "Mostly students. If it gets later, small businesses will have to be looking for other means to hire individuals."
Others argue students need a longer spring break to put the books on hold.
"They have a long period of time between winter break and spring break where they're doing a lot of work in a period of time where there is no break," Sharon Saroff, a godparent of a Baltimore County Schools student, said. "They need a break."
The School Board will make its final decision Nov. 5.
Parents are encouraged to continue to send their comments to the Baltimore County School Board online.