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To start early, or not to start early? WS/FCS seeks feedback on new school calendar

WFDD File photo
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools has two calendars that will be up for consideration at a school board meeting on Dec. 9.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is seeking feedback from staff, students and parents in a new survey about next year’s academic calendar.

The district has two options up for consideration.

Option A is a modified early start, where the first day of school is Aug. 10. The first semester would end before winter break, which means students would finish their tests and other final assignments and then leave for the holidays.

Under Option B, class would begin on Aug. 24, in line with the state’s school calendar law. On this schedule, kids would take their exams after they return from winter break, with the first semester ending on Jan. 15.

The Board of Education voted to start this school year early. Many members cited the benefits of having exams before the holidays rather than after.

The board will consider both options and feedback from the district’s online survey at a meeting on Dec. 9.

Amy Diaz began covering education in North Carolina’s Piedmont region and High Country for WFDD in partnership with Report For America in 2022. Before entering the world of public radio, she worked as a local government reporter in Flint, Mich. where she was named the 2021 Rookie Writer of the Year by the Michigan Press Association. Diaz is originally from Florida, where she interned at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and freelanced for the Tampa Bay Times. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of South Florida, but truly got her start in the field in elementary school writing scripts for the morning news. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.