CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Chesapeake Public School leaders are searching for feedback on two calendar proposals for next school year.
The school system said they conduct a survey every year "to actively involve the community in shaping the school calendar." Based on feedback from more than 2,700 survey responses this year, administrators created two options for the 2024-2025 school year and presented them during the January 8 school board meeting.
Now, they’re asking parents, school workers and students to weigh in, again.
“I don’t feel like they’re listening to the parents,” said Shea Tedford, who is one of several Chesapeake parents raising concerns about the calendar options for the new school year.
The two plans on the table start the school year after Labor Day on September 3. Option A has students returning from winter break on January 2 and ending the year on June 12. Option B gives students and staff a longer winter break with a return on January 6. The school year would end June 17.
“Initially, I was like, 'hey, we have an option to go back January 6 after the Christmas break,'” Tedford said.
Although she prefers a longer break for her children, Tedford isn’t a fan of ending the year later in June because it means a shorter summer vacation time.
“Almost three-quarters of the way or halfway through the summertime,” she said.
Tedford even questions why students can’t start in August. She said she recalls starting the school year earlier as a child.
“We started school towards the middle, end of August and we were out Memorial Day, of course, unless there was snow," she said. "It seemed to always work out.”
Tedford feels her thoughts aren't being heard by the school division.
“I feel like they still vote for whatever they feel is necessary for them versus actually taking the parents’ [thoughts] into consideration,” Tedford said.
The survey is available online and is open until January 22.