The Board of Education last night formally approved two changes to the current school year calendar, closing school on June 20, 2022, in recognition of Juneteenth and building in a two-hour early dismissal for staff and student personal wellness on December 23, 2021.
The Juneteenth holiday is observed annually on June 19 to commemorate the freedom of enslaved African Americans after the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War. June 19 falls on a Sunday this year, so the Board opted to recognize it on the following day. The move means the school year will now end on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, with both June 21 and June 22 being two-hour early dismissal days.
Following Superintendent George Arlotto’s recommendation to add three early dismissal days for teacher, staff, and student wellness, the Board instead approved a motion to change December 23 to an early dismissal for personal wellness time and to convene a collaborative work-study group to review additional means to help teachers and staff.
Also regarding this year’s calendar, the Board asked Dr. Arlotto to review a potential systemwide closure on May 3, 2022, a date when schools are already scheduled to be closed for students while staff will be engaged in professional development, and bring recommendations to the Board at its January 5, 2022, meeting.
An updated 2021-2022 school year calendar can be found at www.aacps.org/calendar.