Shorter Spring Break Possible For Montgomery County Students

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — A shorter spring break for Montgomery County Public Schools students is possible under a school calendar superintendent Jack Smith has proposed for 2018-2019 in an effort to fit the academic schedule into a state-mandated timeframe, according to school officials.

Smith's proposal would shorten spring break from ten days to six, and keep time off for the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Smith says this plan enables the county to squeeze 180 days of school into the window mandated by Gov. Larry Hogan's order that requires schools to open after Labor Day and close by June 15.

Montgomery County's school board voted to ask Hogan to extend the 2018-2019 calendar, but Hogan's office denied the request, according to WTOP. Hogan spokeswoman Amelia Chasse told WTOP: “It is disingenuous for Montgomery County officials to threaten Jewish holidays and spring break. Most jurisdictions have managed to adopt a common-sense calendar that prioritizes what students and families want, and Montgomery County could easily do the same.”

Nothing is concrete yet, and school officials are going through comments from the online comment inbox to get feedback from community members.

“There aren’t any really great options,” school board member Rebecca Smondrowski told the Washington Post. "We’re going to have to take things away from people that they’re used to and that they value and appreciate.”

See the proposed calendar here.

See also: Montgomery County School Calendar 2017-18: Vacations, Conferences

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