2026-2028 Calendar Survey #2 - November 10, 2025 - DCSD Board Meeting Archive

2026-2028 Calendar Survey Comments

Abstract

The executive summary of responses to the DeKalb County School District calendar survey reveals
substantial feedback with several clear trends and actionable suggestions from stakeholders, including
parents, teachers, and staff.

Key Themes

 Desire for a Later Start and Earlier End: The overwhelming majority of comments expressed a
strong preference for the school year to start later in August (rather than early August or late July)
and to end before Memorial Day. Parents and teachers highlighted that an earlier start shortens
summer, conflicts with family plans, and poses challenges with heat and facility readiness. There
was frequent frustration over recent calendars pushing the end of the school year past Memorial
Day.

 Shorter or Adjusted Breaks: Many respondents felt week-long breaks in October and February
were disruptive and difficult for working parents to accommodate. Suggestions included
shortening these breaks to long weekends and aligning break schedules more closely with
surrounding districts (e.g., Gwinnett, Cobb). Others, however, valued the mental health benefits
and family opportunities these breaks provide and wanted to see them maintained.

 Alignment with Neighboring Districts: Numerous comments advocated for better alignment of
calendar dates, including start/end, breaks, and holidays, with those of neighboring counties to
simplify logistics for families and staff with children in multiple districts.

 Advance Notice: Respondents noted the need for much earlier calendar publication, ideally at
least a year in advance, to support family and childcare planning, as well as summer camps and
vacations.

 Virtual/Independent Learning Days: There was broad dissatisfaction with independent
learning or virtual days, which many found ineffective and burdensome for parents, especially at
the elementary level. Calls to eliminate, relocate, or reconsider these days (such as moving them to
Fridays or Mondays or tying them to inclement weather) were common.

 Suggestions for Calendar Options: Some offered alternatives such as implementing a 4-day
school week, restoring more traditional schedules, incorporating additional professional
development or workdays for teachers, and using early release days instead of full days off.
2026-2028 Calendar Survey Comments

Diversity of Opinions

 While substantial feedback supported shorter and better-timed breaks, some specifically
requested retaining week-long breaks for their positive impact on morale and family well-being.

 There was notable division on the value of October and February breaks; some saw them as
essential for mental health, others as disruptive to continuity of learning.

 A subset of comments expressed satisfaction or appreciation for recent calendar improvements,
particularly the movement to finish before Memorial Day, and the option of a Wednesday start.

Operational, Equity, and Communication Concerns

 Calls for explicit inclusion of open house and conference dates, accommodation of major cultural
and religious holidays, and more consideration for 12-month employees and childcare needs
surfaced repeatedly.

 Educators repeatedly asked for more input into the planning process and for the district to be
responsive to prior survey results and stakeholder feedback.

Summary Table
Key Concern/Themes Stakeholder View

Start/End Dates Start later in August, finish before Memorial Day

Week-long Breaks Shorten October/February breaks, align regionally

Calendar Publication Release at least one year in advance

Virtual/Independent Days Reduce or repurpose, not effective for young kids

Alignment with Other Districts Coordinate major breaks & holidays

Staff/12-month Employees Consider mental health and PTO, align staff/student

Communication Add key dates to calendar, more survey transparency

Overall, there is a clear and united call for the DeKalb County School District to start school later, end
before Memorial Day, minimize disruption from week-long breaks, publish calendars well in advance,
and ensure decisions are well-aligned with the needs of families and staff across the community.
Calendar Survey for 2026 - 2028 SY
Summary Report October 2025

Option A: 69%

Option B: 31%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2 © 2025
Select your preference for when the Independent Learner Day will occur.
(N = 4,443)

November (Election Day) 64%

March 36%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

3 © 2025
Select the stakeholder group that best represents your relationship with DeKalb County School District.
(N = 4,443)

Parent/Guardian 38%
Certified Staff (teacher, counselor, media specialist, etc...) 33%
DCSD Employee and Parent/Guardian 10%
School-based Staff 5%
Administrator 3%
District-based Staff 3%
Educational Support Specialist (para-professional) 2%
High School Student 2%
Elementary School Student 2%
Community Member 1%
Middle School Student 1%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

4 © 2025
DCSD Calendar Survey for 2026-2028
Responses by Stakeholder Groups
November March
Total
Independent Independent
Stakeholder Group Count of
Option A Option B Learner Day Learner Day
Responses
Count Percent Count Percent Count Percent Count Percent
Administrator 132 115 87 17 13 83 63 49 37
Certified Staff 1480 1220 82 260 18 869 59 611 41
Employee / Parent 464 369 80 95 20 290 63 174 38
Community Member 63 39 62 24 38 43 68 20 32
District Staff 125 105 84 20 16 81 65 44 35
Educational Support Staff 96 83 86 13 14 55 57 41 43
Elementary School Student 69 39 57 30 43 38 55 31 45
High School Student 77 53 69 24 31 54 70 23 30
Middle School Student 32 23 72 9 28 21 66 11 34
Parent/Guardian 1693 865 51 828 49 1196 71 497 29
School Staff 212 174 82 38 18 127 60 85 40
Total 4443 3085 69 1358 31 2857 64 1586 36
Calendar Survey for 2026 - 2028 SY
October 2025 - Administrator - Stakeholder

Option A: 87%

Option B: 13%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2 © 2025
Select your preference for when the Independent Learner Day will occur.
(N = 132)

November (Election Day) 63%

March 37%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

3 © 2025
Select the stakeholder group that best represents your relationship with DeKalb County School District.
(N = 132)

Administrator 100%
School-based Staff 0%
Parent/Guardian 0%
Middle School Student 0%
High School Student 0%
Elementary School Student 0%
Educational Support Specialist (para-professional) 0%
District-based Staff 0%
Community Member 0%
DCSD Employee and Parent/Guardian 0%
Certified Staff (teacher, counselor, media specialist, etc...) 0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

4 © 2025
Calendar Survey for 2026 - 2028 SY
October 2025 - Certified Staff - Stakeholder

Option A: 82%

Option B: 18%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2 © 2025
Select your preference for when the Independent Learner Day will occur.
(N = 1,480)

November (Election Day) 59%

March 41%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

3 © 2025
Select the stakeholder group that best represents your relationship with DeKalb County School District.
(N = 1,480)

Certified Staff (teacher, counselor, media specialist, etc...) 100%
School-based Staff 0%
Parent/Guardian 0%
Middle School Student 0%
High School Student 0%
Elementary School Student 0%
Educational Support Specialist (para-professional) 0%
District-based Staff 0%
Community Member 0%
DCSD Employee and Parent/Guardian 0%
Administrator 0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

4 © 2025
Calendar Survey for 2026 - 2028 SY
October 2025 - Employee/Parent - Stakeholder

Option A: 80%

Option B: 20%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2 © 2025
Select your preference for when the Independent Learner Day will occur.
(N = 464)

November (Election Day) 63%

March 38%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

3 © 2025
Select the stakeholder group that best represents your relationship with DeKalb County School District.
(N = 464)

DCSD Employee and Parent/Guardian 100%
School-based Staff 0%
Parent/Guardian 0%
Middle School Student 0%
High School Student 0%
Elementary School Student 0%
Educational Support Specialist (para-professional) 0%
District-based Staff 0%
Community Member 0%
Certified Staff (teacher, counselor, media specialist, etc...) 0%
Administrator 0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

4 © 2025
Calendar Survey for 2026 - 2028 SY
October 2025 - Community Member - Stakeholder

Option A: 62%

Option B: 38%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2 © 2025
Select your preference for when the Independent Learner Day will occur.
(N = 63)

November (Election Day) 68%

March 32%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

3 © 2025
Select the stakeholder group that best represents your relationship with DeKalb County School District.
(N = 63)

Community Member 100%
School-based Staff 0%
Parent/Guardian 0%
Middle School Student 0%
High School Student 0%
Elementary School Student 0%
Educational Support Specialist (para-professional) 0%
District-based Staff 0%
DCSD Employee and Parent/Guardian 0%
Certified Staff (teacher, counselor, media specialist, etc...) 0%
Administrator 0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

4 © 2025
Calendar Survey for 2026 - 2028 SY
October 2025 - District Staff - Stakeholder

Option A: 84%

Option B: 16%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2 © 2025
Select your preference for when the Independent Learner Day will occur.
(N = 125)

November (Election Day) 65%

March 35%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

3 © 2025
Select the stakeholder group that best represents your relationship with DeKalb County School District.
(N = 125)

District-based Staff 100%
School-based Staff 0%
Parent/Guardian 0%
Middle School Student 0%
High School Student 0%
Elementary School Student 0%
Educational Support Specialist (para-professional) 0%
Community Member 0%
DCSD Employee and Parent/Guardian 0%
Certified Staff (teacher, counselor, media specialist, etc...) 0%
Administrator 0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

4 © 2025
Calendar Survey for 2026 - 2028 SY
October 2025 - Educational Support Staff - Stakeholder

Option A: 86%

Option B: 14%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2 © 2025
Select your preference for when the Independent Learner Day will occur.
(N = 96)

November (Election Day) 57%

March 43%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

3 © 2025
Select the stakeholder group that best represents your relationship with DeKalb County School District.
(N = 96)

Educational Support Specialist (para-professional) 100%
School-based Staff 0%
Parent/Guardian 0%
Middle School Student 0%
High School Student 0%
Elementary School Student 0%
District-based Staff 0%
Community Member 0%
DCSD Employee and Parent/Guardian 0%
Certified Staff (teacher, counselor, media specialist, etc...) 0%
Administrator 0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

4 © 2025
Calendar Survey for 2026 - 2028 SY
October 2025 - Elementary Student - Stakeholder

Option A: 57%

Option B: 43%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2 © 2025
Select your preference for when the Independent Learner Day will occur.
(N = 69)

November (Election Day) 55%

March 45%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

3 © 2025
Select the stakeholder group that best represents your relationship with DeKalb County School District.
(N = 69)

Elementary School Student 100%
School-based Staff 0%
Parent/Guardian 0%
Middle School Student 0%
High School Student 0%
Educational Support Specialist (para-professional) 0%
District-based Staff 0%
Community Member 0%
DCSD Employee and Parent/Guardian 0%
Certified Staff (teacher, counselor, media specialist, etc...) 0%
Administrator 0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Option A: 69%

Option B: 31%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

November (Election Day) 70%

March 30%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

3 © 2025
Select the stakeholder group that best represents your relationship with DeKalb County School District.
(N = 77)

High School Student 100%
School-based Staff 0%
Parent/Guardian 0%
Middle School Student 0%
Elementary School Student 0%
Educational Support Specialist (para-professional) 0%
District-based Staff 0%
Community Member 0%
DCSD Employee and Parent/Guardian 0%
Certified Staff (teacher, counselor, media specialist, etc...) 0%
Administrator 0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Option A: 72%

Option B: 28%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

November (Election Day) 66%

March 34%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

3 © 2025
Select the stakeholder group that best represents your relationship with DeKalb County School District.
(N = 32)

Middle School Student 100%
School-based Staff 0%
Parent/Guardian 0%
High School Student 0%
Elementary School Student 0%
Educational Support Specialist (para-professional) 0%
District-based Staff 0%
Community Member 0%
DCSD Employee and Parent/Guardian 0%
Certified Staff (teacher, counselor, media specialist, etc...) 0%
Administrator 0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Option A: 51%

Option B: 49%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

November (Election Day) 71%

March 29%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

3 © 2025
Select the stakeholder group that best represents your relationship with DeKalb County School District.
(N = 1,693)

Parent/Guardian 100%
School-based Staff 0%
Middle School Student 0%
High School Student 0%
Elementary School Student 0%
Educational Support Specialist (para-professional) 0%
District-based Staff 0%
Community Member 0%
DCSD Employee and Parent/Guardian 0%
Certified Staff (teacher, counselor, media specialist, etc...) 0%
Administrator 0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Option A: 82%

Option B: 18%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

November (Election Day) 60%

March 40%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

3 © 2025
Select the stakeholder group that best represents your relationship with DeKalb County School District.
(N = 212)

School-based Staff 100%
Parent/Guardian 0%
Middle School Student 0%
High School Student 0%
Elementary School Student 0%
Educational Support Specialist (para-professional) 0%
District-based Staff 0%
Community Member 0%
DCSD Employee and Parent/Guardian 0%
Certified Staff (teacher, counselor, media specialist, etc...) 0%
Administrator 0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

4 © 2025
Report Title: 2026-2028 Calendar Survey Comments
Survey Title: Calendar Survey for 2026 - 2028 SY
Report Type: Verbatim Language: All
Start Date: 14-Oct-25
End Date: 29-Oct-25
Completed: 4,443
Filtered Responses: 4,443

Q5. Please share any additional comments or questions you have about the calendar options.
Response Text
Why do we go back so early? When I first started in the district, we came back in the middle of August and
got out at the end of May or early June. The end of July is too early to return to school. A teacher's first week
should be the 2nd week of August.
I think going to school until after Memorial Day has been a pretty unpopular decision generally. But on the
flip side, they start back way too early. Not sure where the compromise is.
The calendar should be built to where students are getting out before Memorial Day.
I think the district seriously needs to consider starting school later in August. Maybe this should be revisted.
I’d prefer not having a week-long fall break. Dates for open house for each school school should be
published with the district calendar since it requires working parents to take a day off work.
It would be better to have the October break earlier to balance out the number of weeks without breaks
before (10 weeks) and after it (5 weeks). The first 10 weeks without breaks are exhausting.
please release calendar for 28-29 at LEAST 1 year in advance like other districts. Summer camp sign ups
start in Sept. and we have not lead the last few calendars until Nov/Dec. 9 months prior.
Disappointed that school could not finish before Memorial Day weekend.
DCSD should end the 3rd week of May before Memorial Day
Multiple week long breaks during the year make it incredibly difficult for parents who work and do not have
the same time off in their schedules. I greatly prefer long weekends in the fall and spring vs a week. I am in
full support of ending school before Memorial Day.
I’d like open house/orientation day to be posted IN the DeKalb schools calendar. #2 - I wish fall break was
less than a week. Make it a F-T, and a little earlier in October. This is more reflective of Gwinnett school
calendar.
The October break should be shortened or eliminated and school should be completed before Memorial Day.
Our family likes the fall break. We would like to stress that breaks should be time off for both teachers, staff,
and students with no work. It’s not a break if everyone is doing homework. If breaks aren’t free from work
and able to be family time, then give us the time back in the summer instead.
The fall break should be a week or two earlier. Take a look at Cobb.
Thank you so much for taking our input and having the option of starting school on a Wednesday and
decreasing the days off in February. Option B is perfect!
Students and parents need breaks. Fall, winter and spring break is needed, never take it away
We need to keep the October and February breaks!
We do not need a full week for Fall Break or February break. Why is it not an option to return to the
previous breaks at those times when we just had a long weekend? Instructional time is lost when we return
after Memorial Day.
As a staff member the summers are getting shorter and shorter. Virtual teacher workdays are not necessary.
Those days should be off just like the students and treated as PD days BEFORE the breaks. I’m also a parent
so it is difficult to be home and work.
School should end before Memoral day
I do not agree with having staff participate in virtual workdays or on federal holidays.
What were the results of the first survey that led to these options? Both options do not address the issues that
were expressed which includes not having week long breaks and starting so early in August.
Please consider additional virtual days for students to provide additional professional learning days for
teachers.
Publish EARLIER. Every year yall wait TOO LATE.
Please stop trying to low-key go to year round school. You can try doing that again after my kids graduate.
It’s not fair to working parents
I would love for the Independent Learner day to be a Monday or Friday instead of a Tuesday.
Don't like the full week in October. Start later in August and make October also a long weekend.
I did like option to end prior to Memorial Day weekend
Anything b4 the 2nd or 3rd week of Aug is not and always has been a terrible idea. The hottest mo of the
year is ridiculous. U paying for air in the building, and all the buses do not have air, paying for the lunchtime
and staff. buses drivers, fuel. It doesn’t make sense they can go back after labo
I would like to make sure that students do not have to come back to school after Memorial Day. Starting in
later August would also be preferable.
Thank you for ending the school year before Memorial Day! This really helps with summer vacation
planning.
Please keep FULL week breaks (with virtual work days) for staff. That will be one of the most essential
things that will determine if many of us teacher return or find a different county to work for.
Why is the fall break so late into the school year? These breaks are vital to students, parents, teachers et al
and those first 10 weeks are a long, hard stretch. Can the fall break be moved up a week or 2 sooner?
I don’t like starting on a Wed because for people who need childcare coverage, you have one more awkward
half week to figure out. I much prefer the Monday start, plus it allows for the full week in February
The week long breaks are too often for elementary kids!!!!
Would really prefer an option with school ending prior to Memorial Day.
Independent learner days should not be equivalent to a school day, at least for grade school. My children are
currently in 1st and 3rd grade and since they were in kindergarten, those days have not included significant
learning.
Please clarify the pre/post planning days. Please keep us out of the building during Election Day. It’s a safety
issue.
I am both a parent(2 kids in Dekalb county schools) and a teacher. I strongly support options A mainly
because I can find a camp to take my children in the last full week of July when I get back to work.
The preference would be to eliminate enough days from breaks to start school 1-2 weeks later. Consolidating
time off during the summer reducing a/c costs for facilities during the hottest season and allows for readily
available childcare options to working parents.
Please consider starting mid August and eliminating full week fall break!
I don't like starting the spring semester on a Tuesday. I think it makes more sense to start on a Monday.
I love the idea of starting school on a Wednesday. Going back for an entire week makes that first week so
difficult for everyone.
Thank you for ending before Memorial Day!
This was not enough time difference to really make these calanders worth weighing in on. The long fall and
winter break are disruptive to the overall learning process that is ladened with other interruptions like testing
throughout the year. The children need more time actually learning.
Starting school early in August is ridiculous. August should still be part of summer break.
School should start at 10 am for High school end at 7pm ...middle school 9 to 6, elementary 8 - 5
pm..Teachers need a raise not police! Property Tax dollars need to go to TEACHERS inside dekalb County
PUBLIC school systems not private christian nationalist where racism and fascism is being taught.
Can we go back to 3 days for Thanksgiving? We don't need a whole week! Make a long wknd in March with
the extra days.
Thank you for ending school before Memorial Day. So many working families count on that holiday to build
a proper vacation break.
School calendars should adjust back to shorter, if not remove fall/winter breaks and give students a full 3
months off in summer. A lot of kids are only just decompressing after 4 weeks of summer and then have to
go back in 4 weeks.
How come the school calendar is not set so staff/students can return mid to late August versus going back in
July which is in the hot summer month. I think getting out later ie. June and going back later is more
desirable.
Why do we need a week off in October? Give people a summer, start later in August. This is ridiculous.
Starting the school year during the first week of August is too early!
As an elementary teacher (K) I think it would be helpful to include either 1/2 days or a staff day for
parent/teacher conferences. Thank you!
PLEASE go back to the long weekend for both fall (Oct) and winter (Feb) breaks and start school later in
August. It is horrendous that kids go back to school at the beginning of August and summer gets shorter and
shorter.
It is very difficult for working parents to have the 5 day fall and winter break in top of regular winter break
and spring break. Please consider not doing these or doing one or the other.
Please align workdays with the end of the 9 weeks. I took home a ton of work to get ready for a new cohort
& to put in 9 wk grades. As a connections teacher, I had my new students one week and then Fall Break. Had
to reteach all of my classroom procedures & expectations today: What a waste of time
Where are the options for school to start AFTER the first week of August, and end BEFORE Memorial Day?
Summer is too short!
Why does October break need to be 5 days? Why can’t we start later in August? We don’t need these week
long breaks!
We don’t want to go back to school after Memorial Day.
Fall Break should be shortened as well. Working parents are having difficulty with lengthy breaks during the
school year. Also, independent learner day should be eliminated for similar reasons.
I am glad both options end before Memorial Day. There should be no independent learner days - creating
homework for parents who already struggle to find childcare. Students do not need over a break over 2
weeks - shorten the holiday break and keep a week long winter break.
I really like the idea of Wednesday start and the last day being before Memorial Day.
Start later in August and have shorter breaks. There is no need for an entire week off in October. More
virtual days, Charter schools Build in a lot of virtual days, this would work well for high School students
during PSAT testing days where my student sat in homeroom all day without internet aces
Later start date would be better.
For working parents the two additional weeks off in October and February are very challenging. It’s very
expensive to put your kids in camp for that week and no one has multiple weeks of vacation they can take
off. It would be so much better to go back to our schedule that gets the kids earlier in M
Bring back the end of school year either the 21,22, or 23rd of may just like before and like other school
districts. No reason to end a week later than everyone else.
Please start the school year later in August! It is so hot and many of us have extended families & college
students that don't start school until almost September, which makes our only time to visit with them in Jul.
Kids should be in summer until mid/late Aug, not preparing back to school in Jul.
Fall break falling on early application day for college is hard for seniors, parents, and counselors -Oct 15. It
is also the dual enrollment deadline
Do we really have a day in these polls?
The week long October break needs to END. Start school later, end it earlier instead of this break right in the
middle of fall.
Please go back to having the and of school prior to Memorial Day if Option B takes away days in Feb 2026
and Feb 2028
I would prefer starting in the middle of August and getting out in the middle of June.
I tried multiple ways, but I was unable to view the option B dates for 2027-2028. I’m assuming they are
similar to the options for 26-27. I am voting for the Wednesday start in August and the shorter February
break.
Having two options is great. Another option where we had 3 days off for the October and February breaks
would be ideal. Then kids could go back a couple days later to start and not the extra week long break. Back
to more like the calendar two plus years ago.
I think various cultural holidays should be considered when choosing breaks (Yom kippur, Diwali, Eid) a
large population of students are out on these days and they should be days we consider as holidays that the
district acknowledges.
End the school year before Memorial Day weekend
The break in October is too late and close to thanksgiving. Also for teachers that coach we end up working
the whole break anyway. I’d much prefer a long weekend and a longer summer instead for the October and
February breaks.
Please ensure the school year ends before Memorial Day
I wish the calendar shifted more, so that we started later in August with fewer breaks.
I love Option B! Thanks for listening to our feedback!
I think independent learner days should be used exclusively for inclement weather conditions.
I want to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for keeping the fall and winter break options in
October and February. I have personally found over the years in a previous school system and in DeKalb,
behavior and overall attitudes are better when a significant "break" is given every 6 to 7 weeks! :)
Is it possible to make county wide test days (PSAT, SAT) as independent learning days?
We need to stop moving up the first day of school and better align our school year with other parts of the
country where summer break is held during summer months, which includes August.
I would like to see an option where school starts on a Wednesday, full week break in February... if possible
I am writing to respectfully request that the district explore the possibility of implementing a 4-day school
week as an alternative schedule for our schools. This model has been adopted in a growing number of
districts across the country, especially in rural or budget-conscious areas.
Be more like Gwinnett or Cobb or even Fulton schedules.
I don’t think we need a full week off in October and February. I’d like to see the fall and winter breaks
shortened to make summer break a little longer.
I truly wish we could start later in August, then not need a whole week in October off, and we don’t need the
full week in February either. Long weekends are fine in order to start the second Monday or Wednesday in
August.
It would be beneficial for the day of graduation (per school) to be an asynchronous day for teachers/students
so that graduating seniors are able to celebrate with those teachers/staff who have impacted their high school
years.
We have too many breaks. Shorten the fall break as well and push back start day some more.
If there are inclement weather days, I would much prefer for those days to be no-school rather than
independent learner days. The days could be made up from the February break. We both work and are
expected to work from home on weather days. Last year I felt cheated out of school days for my son.
There are several staff members who do not live in Dekalb and have students in other school districts.
Having calendars that align with neighboring counties (Henry, Cobb, Clayton, etc) would be very helpful.
This could also reduce employee absences as they won't have to take the time off.
I feel like we could shorten fall break as well. A week off in October seems excessive.
Thank you for getting rid of all the day out of school. Makes it much easier for working parents
Option A aligns with the October and February break of many neighboring issues. I also think these breaks
will boost student and staff morale.
The 12 month employees should also be on break when the teacher's are on break for at least 3 of those days.
Professional development days in March are not useful because it is so late in the year. That day in March
should be a teacher workday and the PD day during 2nd semester should be earlier.
12 month employees should be given the option to work virtual during the Fall and Winter Break
Why is there no option to propose a shorter fall break? Our family would rather have the full week in
February and shorter break in October
Why do they need a full week off in October and one in November!! Also, why are the kids starting school at
the BEGINNING OF AUGUST???? it's 100 degrees in Atlanta and their summer is too short
Thank you for ending the school year before Memorial Day weekend in the coming years.
I would rather have a short October break and full length February one. Then that would be my first choice.
Why is shortening February the option? There are fewer breaks second semester already.
I really think a Wednesday start would be AMAZING and have thought this for YEARS!!! Thank you for
considering this. It would be so beneficial. The first week of school (M-F) is so long and exhausting.
Having more breaks in between has helped me feel better and I hope we continue this! Option A is better
because it includes the most breaks.
The summer is too short at 9 weeks. Give our children their summers! The calendars do not listen to parents
who do not want a week-long fall or February break. Reduce breaks and delay the start of school in August.
These options are essentially the same. Voting between two similar options is a joke!
I propose that the district formally close operations for all staff to honor and reflect on the rich histories,
cultures, and contributions of Indigenous communities. Observing Indigenous People day as an official
district holiday aligns with our core values of equity, inclusion, and respect for all
Why do the kids have to end by Memorial Day? I'd prefer a starting date later in August. The early August
start does not align with other schools nationwide to enjoy the summertime and camps before school starts so
early. I'd also like to see kids in school Mon and Tues of Thanksgiving week.
I do not think that either the October nor the February break should be an entire week. It's very difficult for
working parents.
We don’t need as many breaks. The students retention level is much lower than it used to be.
I would love for fall break to also align with other districts.
We have kids all cultural backgrounds so we can do instructional day on their festivals day, and more parents
encouraged to take part in classroom learning activities like describing your festival so kids learn more about
their community. It’s just suggestions thank you DeKalb county
School should end before Labor Day. And start after the 1st week of August.
Why does it change drastically every year?
It would be great to have winter break with other surrounding counties.
It would be great to have winter break with other surrounding counties.
It would be great to have winter break with other surrounding counties.
It would be great to have winter break with other surrounding counties.
It would be great to have winter break with other surrounding counties.
It would be great to have winter break with other surrounding counties.
I would like to shorten October break to a long weekend and students get out before memorial day
Would like to have Feb break with other counties.
Would like to have Feb break with other counties.
I just want to say thank you for both options getting us out before Memorial Day!
I would like no virtual learning days. Too hard on working parents. Especially when weather related.
Why is there a whole week at a Thanksgiving, 5 weeks after a whole week for Fall Break? And then we have
Holiday Break 3.5 weeks after Thanksgiving. This makes no sense. The Feb break should be 1 week since
there is no long break except a MLK weekend and then nothing until Spring Break.
Winter break right after a long Christmas break and before Spring break feels unnecessary. Very curious the
reason for this. I think most families would prefer to give that up and be out of school before Memorial Day.
No PL Day in March (Teacher Workday)
I don’t like the full week off in October and a full week off in February. It is so hard for my kids to get back
in the swing of school and routine.
Can we start the first Monday in August, have a three day break in February and end school earlier than May
27th?
No more Independent Learner Days, please. Also, have a district-wide designated Conference Week (M-F)
with early release days where all parents get an opportunity for a conference, at least elementary and middle
schools. Cobb does this!
I don’t think coming back after Memorial Day is productive. It cuts into GHSA dead week. Students also
come back those 3 days and act out. Take away some of our breaks so we can be done before Memorial Day.
Those are wasted days
There should be no independent learner days. The kids do nothing at home and it takes 5 min to complete
assignments. Kids should be in school!
Getting out prior to Memorial Day is maximizing opportunity for learning. Once the Chromebooks are
collected makes assignments more challenging for staff and students.
Why do we have to start so early? Get rid of the February break all together!
Please don’t change the current school calendar. It works just fine. If it isn’t broken don’t fix it.
Is there any way to make the Fall break a full week and schedule the virtual pd day on another date?
Let's just make school year round, and allow parents to schedule vacations on their own. Studies show
students lose a lot of what they learn over summer break.
Starting with option B, you could start the school year 2 or 3 more days later and shorten the October break
2-3 days. When students miss an entire week of school, they completely get thrown out of their schedule and
it takes multiple days to get them back on track. Having 2 short weeks is better!
In the future, could the Fall Break be moved to be halfway in between the end of summer break and
Thanksgiving Break? Trudging through ten weeks of school without a break was awful; I need that time off
to get the work done we aren't allowed to do in our planning periods because of meetings!
I was disappointed to see that the custodial staff got no days off during the fall break. They are also
understaffed at some schools yet being micromanaged
PLEASE forget the desire to balance instructional days in 1st and 2nd semester. Starting in early August is
too hot for so many buildings where the A/C is broken. PLEASE reduce the number of breaks. PLEASE start
later in August. PLEASE continue later in May/early June.
Why can't we go back to the old calendar?
Why can't students begin school later on August?
My preference would be for school to start on the second Monday in August.
There should be shorter breaks so the students are not in school until the end of May
I dislike losing Columbus Day/Indigenous Day since the rest of the school districts celebrate it. (I personally
used it for an annual exam which is no longer possible.) We need a day off in March. Reduce Feb break.
Change Oct. back to Fri, Mon, Tue.
One week in fall is absurd. Let’s not cater to the minimum, let’s push for more than that.
These calendars do not allow much time off for 12-month employees. Even though 12-month employees
accrue vacation time, mental health days are still important. If you are a new 12-month employee, you have
no time accrued. 12-month employees should receive time off for mental health or we leave!
Ending before Memorial Day is more important than starting 2 days later in august.
When creating virtual professional development days for teachers, the district is in essence, making teachers
and participants in professional development due two days worth of work and attend a full day of meetings
for two days worth of pay.
I would prefer to not have a break in October nor in February. Then go back later in August.
Virtual days are boring and need a facelift, we need inventive and effective learning methods designed for all
employees.
No February Break
Going back the last few days after Memorial Day is complete nonsense. We need to end the year before
Memorial Day. Why send kids the last two days to just play games and watch movies. Take the extra days
from fall and winter breaks. We don’t need a week off during those times.
Stop having virtual teacher work days during the fall and winter breaks. It greatly reduces the number of
consecutive days we have and limits the locations we are able to travel. Those work days are nothing but
busy work, the precise thing you tell us not to do as teachers.
Stop having a week off in October. Let students and teachers have off Fri/Mon instead of a week. Let
teachers start work Aug 3rd, NOT in July. Make admin have ALL training prepared and completed by
teachers during pre-planning. Give us a calendar option to vote for that doesn’t include Oct week off.
Please try to coordinate with Gwinnett County Public Schools for October and February breaks. Many of us
have children in that district.
I would prefer to have no Independent Learner days. My kids do not learn anything new that day and it's
really difficult for working parents to figure that day out. It's too often missed work, a paid day off, or the
kids are home alone. Plus, the teachers do two days worth of work in a single day.
This doesn’t seem to take into account the option for a mid August start and having less breaks.
Why don’t we consider half days/early release days for conferences like Gwinnett
We prefer fewer mid-year days off and starting later and ending the year earlier.
Longer summers with less multiple weeks off would be ideal. This schedule is atrocious for working parents
who have to pay fo additional childcare.
Is there an option to use those two days in the beginning of the year and add on summer days in May after
Memorial Day?
End by Memorial Day. It is silly to come back for a couple of days.
The options are not appreciably different. I would have preferred to see two very different from each other
options
Do we really need a fall break? They have a full week at Thanksgiving. “Independent learning” day is a joke.
Stop with the remote/digital learning days. The kids get maybe 30 minutes of work online and it is
essentially a day off. Covid is long over and remnants like this need to be eliminated.
There are too many breaks that draw the year out and disrupt learning.
School should not start until the end of August or after Labor Day and out in June. You are sending kids to
school during the hottest month and most schools don’t even have air conditioning
Will there be consideration in the future of closing the central offices when the schools are closed during any
of the breaks (fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring)?
It would be a preference to shorten scheduled weeklong breaks during the school year in order to have the
last day of school be before Memorial Day.
What about spring break
We should end school before Memorial Day.
Please consider half days for finals at the high school level.
What happened to regular teacher workdays? It is very hard to get things done in my classroom when we are
giving virtual teacher workdays. Also, why do we have more professional developments days instead of
teacher workdays?
Remove BOTH the October and February week long breaks. Just a long weekend in Oct and long weekend
in Feb.
Why can’t we have a break in September instead of October? Have you ever looked at Cobb County’s
calendar?
Do the kids still get spring break?
I think a full week for fall break is too much. The previous calendars that gave a Fri and Monday off and had
the school year start later in August were better for kids and parents.
I believe the independent learner day should be in both November and March. The virtual day in October is
considered a federal holiday so teachers should not be required to work at all.
Thank you for making the calendar so that the students get out of school prior to Memorial Day in 2027 and
2028!
if you can clarify, what are all of the holidays that teachers would have off?
I don’t think you listened to the feedback
Why has the last day of school shifted to AFTER Memorial Day as opposed to the week before? Last year
was the first time this occurred. Is it due to adding in the February break? Why was the decision made to add
in an additionalweek ling break into the school year?
Does it include early release days?
October 15th is important for college applocations. having fall break makes it harder for seniors, parents, and
counselors
Do the hours include the monthly staff meetings after work? Teachers are spending way too many hours
outside of contract hours with no compensation.
The February break is way too long. The three day weekend is much more appropriate. I also believe the
done before Memorial Day was more efficient. Summer is short enough.
Can we go back to a 3 day Oct & Feb break & teachers report to school in August. It’s getting further &
further into July every year. In addition, 4/5 day weekends mean 3&4 day weeks which is also a treat. For
instructional purposes a full wk off is challenging, too much learning loss w/ 9 days out.
Please consider starting school at end of August like Charlotte, NC public schools
Why not try to get out by Memorial Day. Start on first Monday of Aug and get out Friday before Memorial
Day.
With a break in October, we don’t have a full month of school without a break from October to March!! It’s
crazy that our kids can’t be in school for a whole month without a break.
Quiero opinar acerca del segundo semestre que posibilidades hay que entraran la segunda semana de enero ?
Muchos de nuestros hijos salen del pais y no pueden regresar la primera semana por los vuelos que son muy
ocupados.
Why can’t we have early release days?
I would love to see Veteran Day observed in honor of our veterans.
I love the option B that doesn’t have a full week in February for Winter break. A full week is NOT needed
right after the holiday break.
Why do we have to have work the Mondays of our fall and winter break? We cant add the teacher work days
to March?
Thank you all for your hardwork and dedication to the success of our students.
Are there still pre-planning days in July? How many? Is the Monday after New Years a post/pre planning
day?
Please adjust the calendar so teachers do not have to start in July. Phase into a calendar year similar to
surrounding states.
Can October/Fall break be moved back one week?
The students don’t do anything after Memorial Day - there is no reason to go after Memorial Day
The amount of student testing is absolutely insane! What has all of this testing done to make dekalb a better
school district or our students more successful? It has made both the students and teachers over the top
stressed out. Stop the insanity!!!
Give the teachers the whole week off just like the students. I’m not a teacher but can tell it will absolutely
WRECK their break to have a virtual workday. For crying out loud! Teachers have it rough, why would you
alienate them more? They need the full week for the break!!!!
I do not think we need an independent learning day. It basically a day off and no student or parent is going to
be doing any learning. And the students should go back to school Jan 5th 2026, not Jan 6th. The post and pre
planning day can happen. JAN 2ND NOT JAN 5TH.
Both presented options are very similar. Not sure why we are voting on two or three days when round one
was discussing so many more options. I was hoping for a later start in August and then reduce the number of
days for the breaks in October and February.
To keep both virtual days for students but have them on a Monday or Friday so that it doesn’t interrupt the
flow of the week.
Consider incorporating more independent learning days or virtual learning days: one in First First Tuesday in
each of the following months: September, November, March, and May.
Is it necessary for Fall break at all!!! That could be a school week instead of students having that week in
October off and then the week in November for Thanksgiving.
I prefer a later first start for August like mid august..what was the point in asking those questions if the
options only to start 2 days later?
Can we look into an option where the fall break is a long weekend and the winter break is a full week?
Behavior tends to spike in March because of the lack of breaks during that span of time.
Does schools have a set amount of days that the students need to be in school? I'm asking because I just think
the kids should get out for the year towards the middle of May.
Why can’t the last day of the school year, be before Memorial Day like it used to be?That just doesn’t make
sense to end after Memorial Day, especially when it would align with other districts.
Neither option A or B are good. School should start in mid to late August.
Cancel the Fall break to make the winter break one week longer or Cancel the February break to start the
summer break one week earlier.
This does not seem representative of the majority of parental feedback. The options are similar to the last two
school years, except for the option with two fewer days in February. It’s extremely disappointing that parents
are being ignored and our feedback is disregarded. Makes this effort futile.
The lengthy breaks occurrin so often are so hard for the students. Especially in the second semester. They
just get back from the holidays and then there is a week in February and then a week again in early April and
then it's basically testing time. It is hard for them to get reacclimated to school
School should end before Memorial Day. School should start on a Monday. We don’t need Feb break -
school starts in August, the a week off in Oct, week off Nov, 2+ weeks off Dec, week off Feb, week off
April! Virtual learning is not school - it’s just homework. should not count as instructional days
Parents DO NOT want a week off in October. We want a later summer start. Why start on a Wed.? Start the
following Monday.
These two calendars varied very little (two days) from each other and was not much of a selection. I am
disappointed the committee did not give differing choices like starting the school a week later or ending the
school a week earlier by not having so many days in the fall and winter break.
I would love for either the October or February break to be moved to a week that is not associated with a
holiday. We want to show our kids the world, but everything is extremely crowded and expensive holidays
weeks. Other weeks would make more/better opportunities possible.
The week long options for breaks are terrible for working parents. Having so many weeks off is really hard.
Please consider shortening all of them! No need for week long breaks!!! And more summer is better for kids
- the expectations and support for summer break is better.
In these questionable times, it seems very dangerous for students and staff (full staff) to be in the building on
election days.
Where is the option to extend the school year at the end into June then go back mid August? This is a better
match with the realities of changing weather patterns and matches up with other states that go back in late
August- September. Still gets to same day count
Please allow the students to finish the school year before Memorial Day holiday. It is cheaper to travel before
that holiday before other states release their students for the summer
Please add testing schedules to the calendar so we can prepare long term appointments around that time!!!
Why do we continue to start school so early in August when most of the country’s students are able to enjoy
the summer when camps and pools are open. At least mid August would be better. Teachers are back at
school at the end of July for preplanning. Additional virtual days using technology.
Election day in November should be virtual for teachers.
I would prefer to have the full week. For those of us who like to travel it is inconvenient.
I want a full week off in October but dont need a full week in February and I dont want to have the end lf
school year go past memorial day.
Why not get rid of the fall break and the second break to give educators and students a longer summer break.
All the breaks do is stop forward momentum. Also, can we have true teachers workdays before each marking
period and have half days for final exam days for high school students.
Why is DCSD requiring that teachers work (virtually) on Federal Holidays (October 12) Columbus Day.
I'm glad both options have school ending before Memorial Day. Having students go back for 3 days after
Memorial Day was a colossal waste of time and resources.
Please align the calendar more with neighboring counties, such as Gwinnett! Our breaks have not been the
same as theirs and I have to figure out childcare for my kid on those days because they are marked as critical
days on our calendar!
School year is starting too early. Phase into a calendar year that matches northern and surrounding states.
I don’t understand why you all keep pushing the last day of school back it makes summer less , after
Memorial Day do not make sense, they use to get out before Memorial Day , pools open on the 24th, they
don’t take field trips anymore ???
I prefer the calendar that we currently have, in which we come back after Memorial Day. This way we get to
keep the week long breaks. I strongly dislike coming back to work for pre-planning the last week of July. It
cuts into the summer, especially for those who teach summer school.
It would be nice to align with surrounding districts if possible.
I think more independent learner days should occur. Why not have more than 1 per year? What about 2 per
semester? It can help with teacher burnout if they have more workdays. This worked during the pandemic
when students stayed home on Wednesdays for independent learning.
When school is closed on the virtual days-drivers who have children have to be at home to help them with
their virtual assignments. Why do we expect them to attend staff development training? This really needs to
be considered.
1) Is it possible to do a 4 day week with Fridays or Mondays off? 2) give each student 5 mental health days a
year.
I didn't see Spring Break on either calendar.
keep the calendar the way it is please.
My child does not have the option to participate in independent learning days. I am a single parent and he
must go to daycare on the days school is not in.
These Kids needs year round school. DeKalb had year round schools for elementary once and we need it
back.
Why do we have a week-long fall break when we have a week-long Thanksgiving break the next month?
Extended breaks like these only hurt our students who get off of their sleep school schedule and then are
pretty much, nonfunctioning for the first week we return.
Is there way to push the first day of school to the 2nd week of August and still get out between the dates of
May 22-27? There has to be a way to find days throughout the calendar that could even work as 2-hour
release days or even half-day of school days. Burnout of teachers is real!
Please do not make kids go back to school after Memorial Day
The fall and winter breaks which are a whole week gives students and parents time to relieve stress. It’s
easier to plan with after care programs. It’s more expensive paying day by day. Thus that half week or 2 days
with Option B is not ideal. Thank you.
Please give 12-month employees more days off like other districts.
These weekly breaks create a coverage gap that working parents have to fill, often at significant cost or
stress. Many families struggle to find childcare options during these breaks. These families may not have
flexible work. Please consider eliminating these weeklong breaks.
One week breaks beyond Thanksgiving and Spring Break are too disruptive to learning and for Varsity
sports. Please stop these arbitrary one week breaks.
No virtual work days for teachers.
Have we considered a four day work week SY calendar with extended school hours as an option?
These long breaks make it difficult for the student and the teachers to acclimate back into the classroom.
Also school needs to also consider we have 1-2 snow days a year which also then contribute to the kids being
out of school. Also going back to school after memorial day is just ridiculous.
Having the fall and Feb. breaks extended on the calendar over the past 2 years has been greatly welcomed
and appreciated. With teacher/staff burnout continuously rising, this has afforded us all an opportunity to
reset and refresh which is needed. Continuing calendar (A) would help your employees.
Is there no spring break?
Consider including more professional development days so that the teachers can engage in more
opportunities to learn.
Thank goodness both options are releasing students BEFORE Memorial Day. Previously the days after
Memorial Day will ill-attended.
Can we go back to a 3 day Oct and Feb break and teachers report to school in August.
The options showed the dates students return, it would be helpful to also have exact dates that staff would
return for the first day of school to be clear and not make assumptions.
Option A - The October FTE count date is likely the first day of the 2nd 9-weeks. This is likely to CAUSE
funding problems at Elizabeth Andrews HS and other schools that may not schedule their 9-weeks in
advance. -- James Rauch (System Analyst II)
School should start later in August
It appears there is no longer spring break?
School should start back after Labor Day
With the heat intensity why don't we look at delaying school till the second week of August and push the end
of school till the Last week of May.
I suggest removing the teacher's virtual workday from the calendar. Allow teachers to have that day
completely off.
I would recommend the February break go back to a three day weekend not three or five days off so the
children are done before Memorial Day
Option A is the best choice, offering the highest level of consistency for our students and teachers.
Virtual Teacher work days are non productive for many.
School needs to begin a week later in August to accommodate summer camp.
School should end prior to Memorial Day.
Why was the February break changed from the week of President's Day for the 2027-2028 school year?
If we use plan B, could we extend school by 2 days and still get the week off in February? I love starting
school on Wednesday instead of Monday.
Why is there a virtual day when we're on break, that's why it's called a break (we shouldn't do work).
I would prefer more week long breaks
Please shorten the October break.
Why wasn't Spring Break included in the calendar?
I am trying to figure out why the February break was change to the week before President's day during the
2027-2028 school year? They have been out for the week of President's Day for a while now. I'm scheduling
for our vacations in advance and this change is a shock! Thank you for consideration.
I really really appreciate that both calendar options have us getting out of school before Memorial Day. That
was torture last year!
Can we have multiple independent learning days?
I don’t see a major difference in the calendar other than only 2 days. I believe there should be more
educational days during the school year and less breaks not just a two day difference.
Can the calendar be pushed back a week or a month, after Labor Day? What happened to half-days for final
exams and professional learning days, especially after each nine-week period has ended? This will give
teachers time to finalize grades, review student data, and plan with content/team.
No work should be done on election day to make it easy for teachers to vote.
Please do a study of where staff resides. The Dekalb Fall October break does not coincide with the Fulton
county proposed calendar.
Go with Option A!
The calendar options should be separate for each school year.
It would be helpful to align our fall break with the other counties and I have a child in Fulton who has fall
break in September.
I would love to see a shorter break in October as well.
I liked the older schedule, where we started on a Monday, had a Friday/Monday break in October and
February, and ended before Memorial Day.
I would like to see fewer days off in October.
Week long breaks are unnecessary in October and February. It disrupts the learning momentum. It also takes
the students about three days to get back into the routine. These things result in learning loss. It also takes
time away that we had before to get all of the standards taught before Milestone.
It would be great if Dekalb could have the same breaks as the surrounding metro area counties.
How can the students go back to getting out before Memorial Day?
I do not believe we need a February break - it would be great if the only day off is the President's Day
holiday. I also like the idea of starting school in August mid-week.
I don't like that the calendar now includes a week-long break in Oct. and an extended break in Feb. without
the option to exclude these breaks. This was voted into the calendar once and we have not had a chance to
decide if we would like to keep it. It has now become permanent.
Whats THE PERPOSE
I think our Fall Break should occur earlier in the semester. Some districts like Forsyth and Cobb schedule
their breaks at the end of September to more evenly divide the time between the start of the year and T-
giving break and it helps prevent teacher and student burnout.
Please try to match calendar with Gwinnett. Many Dekalb teachers live in Gwinnett and this causes daycare
issues when calendars are different.
Spring break is not listed on calendar…by the end of the year (after APs) no one is doing anything in class,
last 1-2 weeks are a total waste of kids time
The February break is incredibly frustrating as a parent, as it is during a time of year where there are often
snow days. I would honestly like to see it cut out all together, but we certainly don’t need an entire week.
Please consider switching October's teacher workday and November's PL day. PL earlier in the semester
would be beneficial for all teachers, especially HS teachers on 4x4 block schedule (e.g., November is too late
to make meaningful changes in HS Milestones courses testing in December). Nicole Durham
These proposed calendars are nearly identical, with only slight differences in the start date and February
break. What happened to the idea of starting the school year later? If students begin during the first week of
August, that means teachers will be required to report in late July — which is awf
I honestly don’t like either option, though I prefer option B of the two. My main concern is that the options
burden working parents with taking a lot of leave in February and October. I’d like to see shorter fall and
winter breaks.
Why would you change this horrendous calendar and still give an entire week off in Oct? How has no one
thought of starting sometime during the second week in August instead of making working parents struggle
to cobble together child care for an entire random week in the middle of the school year?
School should start mid to late August to accommodate for academic camps that sometimes don’t end until
August.
I prefer November for the independent learner day so teachers can have easier access to voting.
I would prefer a shortened fall break and longer Feb break
I am both a parent and teacher of DCSD.
I would like to see more digital learning days on the calendar for students at least once per month and have a
workday for teachers in the building while students are having their digital learning day at home, similar to
Gwinnett County School District
It would be great if open house was planned in advance so that it can be on the calendar so parents can plan
accordingly as far as work goes. Thanks
It would be very helpful to have off for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. It seems a reasonable request given
the amount of time that is provided for alternate holidays. Thank you for your consideration.
As a parent these kids have to many off days from learning. Back when I was growing up and in school we
never had these many days off from school it's just ridiculous to me I'm sorry but the students need to be in
school more
If we are starting early August, we should always end the school year before Memorial Day.
If we are starting in early August, we should always end before Memorial Day.
Why don’t we have an option to choose between March and February to take a break? And also choose
between September and October to take a break?
The Wednesday start with a split February break is in no way an improvement. It is much harder to get
childcare on weekends especially in the more rural areas in DeKalb.
Moving forward our school calendars should mimic the northern calendars to make it equitable for a better
work home balance for young and established families.
The week for February seems excessive. Students and instructors don't really need a long break since we've
had the long winter break. March is one of the longest months for instruction and one three day weekend
would be appreciated. Another idea would be to bookend labor day with a Friday before.
Stop randomly making days of our well deserved breaks a work day of any type. Give us the week! I would
love to start on a Wednesday and use the first 3 days to establish the class and dive into curriculum later but
knowing DeKalb that won't happen so I voted option A. Virtual work days are stupid!
I found coming back to school after Memorial Day seemed to just be “play days” at school to hit the number
of required days. I would favor adding those days elsewhere and not having the kids return to school after
Memorial Day as there wasn’t any learning going on.
Employees should be allotted Mental Wellness days that are not deducted from sick leave.
Please let the kids get out for summer before Memorial day
The options for the break in October appear to be the same on both calendars but I prefer the 5 day break
which was explained to be option A.
Honest both options are terrible. You need to do a better job Dekalb - you are taking too many days off, keep
these students learning , they have too many breaks.
The full week for Fall Break is egregious. The kids do not need a full week off in Oct, then a full week off in
Nov, and then 2.5 weeks off in Dec/Jan. Why do the kids wait to come back on Tuesday, Jan 5th? Having
that random Monday off is incredibly difficult for parents of small children.
Can we get a raise or are we getting a raise next school year?
What about Thanksgiving break? Does that remain a full week off moving forward?
Consider 4 day school weeks to save money for the district and support the mental health of staff and
students. There are studies supporting 4 day school weeks and it could aid in teacher retention, too.
Can we create a consistent yearly schedule or a schedule similar to Henry County?
The last day of school school ALWAYS be BEFORE Memorial Day. It is horribly inconvenient to take
place AFTER the holiday.
Possible Veterans Day off or virtual day. 1/2 day for conferences for students
Please push the start time of elementary school back to at least 7:45! 7:35 is so early!
More time to set up rooms in pre planning and no so many other things.
In 2027 the last day of school is listed after Memorial Day not before …..
In the future, I would prefer that all calendar options keep the last day of school and the post-planning day
before the Memorial Day holiday.
Less October break
Asking to choose between two bad options isn't encouraging, but totally in character.
why do you find is ok to have independent learning days. The little kids do busy work or nothing and the
parents become the teachers- NO ONE LEARNS ON THIS DAY!!!! You shouldn't be able to count it as a
school day- no double dipping!!! Just stop having them!
Why is an Independent learning day required? It is pointless and affects parents more than anyone. Is there
an option to not have one?
Please do not do a full week in February.
We should get out before memorial day. Going after memorial sucks because it's our finals day. We have a 3
day weekend then come back and immediately take finals then go on break. It's just stupid. We should be
done before memorial day.
Calendar A helps with teacher burnout, Calendar B does not. We need those extended breaks to recoup,
catch up, and reconnect with our families. I hope the board will consider this as it is essential to our mental
health.
Please go back to ending the school year BEFORE Memorial Day like it used to be prior to Horton, like
every other school in the state.
Too many days off
I don't like how the 2024-2025 isyear structured. summer break felt really short. I also think that the
February break is unnecessary since we recently came back from a long break; or at least that's how i felt last
year. october break only really needs to be a few days as well.
Please remove all remote learner days as this does not help the students learn. It is a burden on the students
and families.
the week long breaks in Oct and Feb seem disruptive to learning with so many starts and long stops. not to
mention, it is incredibly difficult for working parents to have so many weeks off--most companies do not
provide this amount of time off so hard to cover.
As a parent, I am loving the extra time that students have off during the school year. These breaks are needed
as high school schedules and classwork is strenuous.
Why 3 days only in October of 2026 for school employees?
The number of breaks we have is ridiculous. How are working parents supposed to take off all of this time?
These extra long breaks are unbelievably costly and difficult for working parents. School really need to help
us figure out what to do. Also, independent learning days are even harder for us to manage than days off. We
have to work. We aren’t in a situation anymore where a parent is at home.
Would prefer a longer summer and less breaks throughout the year. Also - the independent learning days are
RIDICULOUS!!!!!
Going back after Memorial Day for a handful of days for elementary schools is a worst possible option. It’s
not a full week so parents have to take time off or find care for Friday after a Monday holiday. It’s also not
learning but mandatory attendance.
I don't like all these weeks off of school. It is difficult to find daycare or camps for my children. It is also
difficult to get them back on school schedule with these long breaks. I don't like the full week in October. A
log weekend is just fine. End school before Memorial day and start later.
The week long breaks are a big interruption. Is the October week long break necessary? Can it be
reconsidered as the February one is? Thank you
Would it be possible to have school on thanksgiving week and the school year early (e.g., Thanksgiving
break on Thursday and Friday and end school year before the Memorial Day weekend? As a working parent,
it’s tough to have one week off in October/November and then two weeks off in December.
These start dates are still way too early considering the ending date from this year. Having the calendars end
on the same day was a good trick to get a different answer than the one you got last time (we always get to
“select” a calendar that is unsatisfactory). Longer summers equal real breaks.
As a household with 2 working parents having a week off in the majority of months in school is very hard to
navigate
If there was any way to avoid having the kids go back after Memorial Day, I think many of us would be in
favor of that. I would prefer keeping school starting on a Monday and shortening February break if it meant
they got out the week before.
It is extremely hard for working parents to cover a full week off for (each) fall break, February break, and
spring break. The calendar with only 3 days of February break is a welcome relief for working parents.
Please give the students a longer summer and stop the completely unnecessary full week breaks in October
and February.
Why is it necessary to have a 5 day break in October when there is another 5 day break for Thanksgiving
only a month after. There are too many 5day breaks during the school calendar.
What about more Pre-planning days or less meeting? Teachers struggle every year trying to prepare
classrooms and attend an abundance of meetings. Most give up time the week before to try and get ahead.
Start later in August and have less breaks throughout the semester instead (i.e. - shorter Fall Break and
February Break....2 days vs. 5 days off for each.
Last day of school before Memorial Day.
I have a preference for calendar B because I find that I can help build excitement and a smother transition for
my child when she starts mid week than her starting with a FULL week of school. It’s a lot on us all.
October break should be a week earlier than either calendar proposes. Teachers in my school say that the
Independent Learner Day would be more useful closer to testing, so March is the preferred option.
I definitely appreciate getting out before memorial day. Always seemed so silly to go back to school for one
or two days after that! And option B would honestly be fine as well. Both good choices!
Fall and spring breaks should occur 9 weeks into the semester, giving students and teachers a natural
stopping point (rather than at week 10, like this school year, forcing all 9-week classes to start and then
immediately pause)
12 month staff would like to have days off during the Fall Break as well as the entire week off during
Thanksgiving. Or.... if not, be allowed to work from home as an option. Covid 19 proved the success of
being able to work from home.
Can the independent learning day fall on a Friday or Monday?
We will not be participating in Independent Learning day. If school is closed, then we will consider it a day
off for the kids as well. Additionally, Opt A & Opt B barely had a difference. It would be nice to have the
kids in school more days/mo & have a longer summer rather than vacations every mo.
I appreciate that the last day of school has been moved back to end before Memorial Day. This was the most
difficult change for our family and I'm glad the proposed options end school prior to the holiday.
Cut fall break back to 3 days
The break in October and February can be 3 days. There is no need for the whole week! Makes it hard on
working parents. Please make sure the school year ends before Memorial Day whatever schedule you pick.
We should have 2 early release days per semester to accommodate for parent teacher conferences. Other
districts have done this successfully. The conference cut off time for early release would be 5:30 pm. It will
allow for more 1:1 conferences. Conferences can be offered virtually or in person.
I am a parent with a lot of flexibility in my work schedule and am really liking the week-long breaks in Oct
and Feb. I’m not sure how it works out for parents that work more traditional hours. That is my only concern.
If the independent learner day ends up on election day, teachers MUST be given the opportunity to vote
unrestricted. It is unacceptable to remove that right by practically restricting that from happening by
requiring PD without some form of leave.
School needs to be finished before the Memorial day weekend every year for students and staff
Why are there no options for fewer fall and winter breaks (Oct and Feb) Don't need a full week in these
months. It's stupid.
I like the weeklong breaks a lot and don’t think two more days in the classroom (Feb break) will yield more
results in students necessarily.
It would be nice to have the calendar decided before the start of the previous school year.
I love the Wednesday start!
Please build in more days for Independent Learning Days and early release days on parent teacher
conference days or just in general for both.
How will this affect our 12-month employees? It is crucial to note that the calendar options do not specify
the start date of the holiday, and this information is vital for proper planning.
Never extend the school year past memorial day. That was awful
Prefer having only long weekends for fall AND winter breaks and starting later. The fall break is 11 weeks
after the start of school and only 5 weeks before a week at Thanksgiving. Why not do it at the end of
September so it is more in the middle of that chunk of time?
The calendar needs to go back to the structure it had prior to last year. An entire week off in February when
school just got back in January after 2 weeks off for holiday break is a bit much for those of usb without
extra PTO or WFH options. Also, the school year should end before Memorial Day.
Our family really values the calendar setup where there are the almost full week breaks throughout the year
allowing us to travel or enjoy our time together outside just summer weather but also allows our student to
reset as needed during the instructional year.
Thank you for moving last day to before Memorial Day. NO learning happens in May and those days after
were a waste! Also like the shortened Feb break. And, the first week of school is exhausting for all. Give
teachers and students an "ease in" week. Like the Wednesday start!
I think 12 month employees should get the whole Thanksgiving and Christmas break off.
Why is there a need for the Monday during Fall Break to now be a PL day for teachers which started this
school year?
Starting school the first week of August exposes students to extreme heat and ending with only a few post-
Memorial Day days is inefficient. Shifting the calendar 2–3 weeks to start school later would improve
instructional value and better align with seasonal conditions.
First preference would be to start school second week of August and fall break is one day of Columbus/
Indigenous day or one day of Columbus/Indigenous day plus one day (tuesday) . Thank you for the
opportunity to review. Also, remove those who voted for & came with previous Superintendent .
Please add more virtual workdays for teachers and staff. This is a great way to make Dekalb more attractive
when recruiting teachers. Since we are paid less than neighboring districts, this would be a great benefit to
add without costing the district more.
The full week February break provides more flexibility to make plans and schedule appointments during the
break so that students don't have to miss instruction time.
The full week February break provides more flexibility to make plans and schedule appointments (such as
pediatrician and dentist) so that students do not have to miss instructional time.
Please add option C- School starts first monday in August, 3 day in Feb and school ends on Friday before
memorial day.
Why is there no longer a spring break
I would like to see the Fall break shortened to 3 days as well. Our students and faculty struggle with getting
in and out of rhythm, resulting in missed learning days even though they are in the building.
There is no need for a week break in Feb or Oct. All that is necessary is at least a Monday or Friday off or
virtural every 3 weeks. Students need a break at least every 3 weeks.
March should have at least 3 days for for the employees to have off because March is long month.
Make school start later in august
There is MINIMAL difference between either of these options. Why are we starting school so early in
August. There is so much emphasis put on these kids having as little time as possible for summer break
before school starts back up. Families are missing out on summertime with their children.
Please align spring break with the two major universities in Atlanta GSU and GT. Many parents work at
these large employers and it would be great if the university spring break and the K12 spring break lined up.
I would really prefer not to have any long breaks in October or February and let the kids start school later
and end school earlier so their summer break is longer.
I like that the students and teachers get many weeklong breaks and don't believe that two more days in class
will make a huge difference, but I am not an educator! I prefer school would start mid August, but I also
don't want to lose those week long breaks.
Please add an option where we are not getting out after Memorial Day. Fall Break could be the Thursday,
Friday and Columbus Day instead of the entire Columbus Day week.
As a parent, We receive a lot of invitations to participate in calls/ training, and It's hard to understand which
of those calls/training it is important to participate. We receive too many emails, it's confusing
Starting school during the first week of school is too early. Teachers should not have to come back in July
for preplanning. We need a later start day. Why is this not a choice?
First day of school should not be in the peak of summer. Remove the Fall Break and February break in lieu
of a start date in late August.
The last week of school should not be so close to Memorial Day weekend. It should end the week before.
I would LOVE to start school on a Wednesday. I have done this in other counties. It provides teachers and
students with a couple of days to get to know rules and procedures in all 3 levels (elementary, middle &
high) and then teachers & students can hit the ground running on Monday.

Agenda Item