Prince William County Public Schools2021-22 School Calendar

School Board MeetingOctober 21, 2020

Dr. Jennifer Coyne CassataDirector, Office of Accountability

Mr. Keith ImonDeputy Superintendent

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Background/Assumptions • The 2021-22 calendar options were developed under the working

assumption that school will open fully in person for all students.• The starting point for the 2021-22 calendar options was the 2020-21

calendar that was originally approved in October 2019.• Virginia requires a school year to have 180 days/990 instructional

hours.• Beginning with the 2019-20 school year, Virginia removed the

prohibition on school divisions starting school before Labor Day without a waiver.

• School divisions can start up to two weeks before Labor Day but must have a four-day Labor Day weekend.

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Calendar Development Process• Initial drafts were developed for consideration by the Calendar Committee.

• The first draft mirrored the original calendar approved for the 2020-21 school year.• Other options incorporated additional holidays.

• A virtual Calendar Committee meeting was held on September 3, 2020. The Calendar Committee discussed these initial options, asked questions, and provided suggestions.

• Feedback on the calendar options was also gathered from the Calendar Committee electronically to inform the Superintendent’s Staff.

• The Superintendent’s Staff approved two options for consideration by the School Board.

• Input from the public has been gathered through a poll about these options.

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Dates Common to Both Options• First Day of School - August 23

• Four-day Labor Day holiday weekend (September 3-6)• Divisionwide Professional Learning Day - October 11 • End of 1st Marking Period - Schools Closed for Students - November 1-2

• November 2 – ES Parent Conference Day and MS/HS Teacher Workday/Conference Day/PD• November 3 – Schools closed for Election Day (Teacher Workday (live or virtual))

• Veterans Day Holiday - November 11• Thanksgiving Holiday – November 24-26• Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday - January 18 • Washington’s Birthday/President’s Day Holiday – February 21• Spring Break – April 11-15• Last Day of School – June 10

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Potential New Holidays and Impact• Four additional holidays under consideration in response to

inquiries about the calendar being reflective of the diversity of Prince William County. • Rosh Hashanah – September 7• Yom Kippur – September 16• Diwali – November 4• Eid Al Fitr – May 3

• In both proposed options for 2021-22, Winter Break incorporates the Christmas holiday and Spring Break incorporates Good Friday and the start of Passover.

• Option B incorporates the four additional holidays and adjusts the calendar to maintain the same start and end dates as Option A.

• The official calendar does not list any religious holidays by name. • The Annual School Guide and Calendar lists many religious

holidays, some that are school holidays, and others that are not.

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Calendar Options for 2021-22

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Note: This is how each of the calendars would appear on the Annual School Calendar page, once approved.

Calendar Options for 2021-22

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Key Dates Original 2020-21 Calendar

2021-22 Option A 2021-22 Option B

Teachers Report August 17 August 16 August 16

Start Date August 25 August 23 August 23

Winter Break December 21-January 1

December 20-January 2

December 23-January 2

Spring Break March 29-April 2Student holiday

April 5

April 11-15Student holiday

April 18

April 11-15

End Date June 11 June 10 June 10

Summary of the 2021-22 Calendar• Start and End Dates for Students:

• Start Date: August 23, 2021• End Date: June 10, 2022• Total Days: 180

• Key Differences:• Option A mirrors our traditional school calendar and includes a two-week Winter Break.• Option B incorporates the new holidays and includes a shorter Winter Break in order to end

school at the same time as Option A.

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Calendar Committee Survey Results• Committee members were asked about

four options (two traditional and two including the new holidays).

• 30 respondents• Preferences split:

• 56% preferred a calendar with the holidays• 44% preferred a traditional calendar

• Committee members asked to identify top two factors for the calendar.

• These results led to two options for consideration.

• No one option can address everything.

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Public Calendar Poll• A public poll about the 2021-22 calendar

options was conducted in October.• Over 13,000 respondents completed the entire

poll.• Respondent Breakdown:

• 79.7% parents• 22.2% staff• 5% students

• Majority (65%) of respondents chose Option A.• Key Themes in comments:

• Desire for two-week Winter Break• View that the new holidays are inclusive• Concerns about how holidays are referenced • Interest in possibility of year-round school

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• Just under half of respondents indicated they would not change anything with either option.

• Nearly a quarter of respondents (24%) indicated they would prefer to extend Winter Break in Option B, which would make school get out later in June.

Considerations• Other jurisdictions either have adopted or are considering adopting

calendars that incorporate some or all of the new holidays.

• Adoption of a calendar with a later start date (August 30) with two weeks for Winter Break would lead to school ending no earlier than June 17.

• In both options, care was taken to balance the marking periods to the greatest extent possible.

• Any substantial changes to the calendar could necessitate some adjustments to these marking period dates, which impact report card schedules.

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Accessing the Calendar• The calendar for 2021-22 will be available on the PWCS.edu website

under Calendar once approved by the School Board, scheduled for the November 4 Board meeting.

• It will be available in a printable format as well as in an iCal subscription.

• The 2020-21 calendar iCal subscription is available on the PWCS.edu website under Calendar.

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Prince William County Public Schools2021-22 School Calendar

School Board MeetingOctober 21, 2020

Dr. Jennifer Coyne CassataDirector, Office of Accountability

Mr. Keith ImonDeputy Superintendent

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