Education, Politics

Baltimore County Public Schools announces 2020-21 school year start date

TOWSON, MD—Baltimore County Public Schools has announced when the 2020-21 school year will start.

On Tuesday evening, the Board of Education voted to approve a post-Labor Day start next year.

The school year will officially begin on Tuesday, September 8, 2020.

BCPS recently asked for public feedback regarding when the school year should start.

Starting school after Labor Day has “a clear, positive impact on both state and local government economies” with a total net economic impact of up to $115 million, according to a new analysis from the Business Economic and Community Outreach Network (BEACON) at Salisbury University.

Governor Larry Hogan had previously issued an executive order mandating that Maryland schools begin the year after Labor Day, but he later announced a compromise, adding that “Marylanders will have the deciding vote on this one way or another.”

Additional calendar highlights include the following:

Teachers will report back to work on Monday, August 31, 2020.

Spring Break will be from Monday, March 29, 2021, through Monday, April 5, 2021.

If no inclement weather days are used, the last day of school will be Friday, June 18, 2021.

As in the current school year calendar, Presidents’ Day and Easter Monday have been set aside as so-called contingency days. Should one or more inclement weather closures occur prior to Presidents’ Day, BCPS will request a waiver from the Maryland State Board of Education to re-designate these days as student days.

The Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) requires schools to be open for 180 student days, 1,080 student hours for elementary and middle schools, and 1,170 student hours for high schools.

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