In accordance with Policy AEA, the Calendar Committee developed calendar options by considering the number of days per year, number of days per semester, inclement weather/emergency days, testing windows, spring breaks, holidays, school breaks, and other metro area school districts’ calendars. Stakeholders provided input through an online survey that opened January 22, 2016 and closed January 29, 2016. The committee analyzed the responses and comments received from the 11,813 respondents before preparing the final calendar recommendations. The DeKalb Board of Education approved the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 on February 1, 2016.
The 2016-2018 school calendars contain the following features:
- 180 days of instruction – 88 days in first semester and 92 days in second semester
- First day of school for students – Monday during the second week of August
- 190 teacher-contract days including one evening workday comprised of four conference nights during the year as scheduled by each local school (Each conference night is two hours.)
- 5 teacher workdays before the first day of school
- Holidays – Labor Day, Columbus Day, Martin L. King Day, and President’s Day
- Fall break - Thursday – Monday
- Election Day/Teacher’s Workday
- Thanksgiving Break – one full week
- Conclude first semester prior to winter break to prevent students from taking final exams or state-mandated tests at the beginning of second semester
- One day in January for post planning/pre-planning
- February Break – Friday – Monday
- One Professional Development Day in March
- Inclement Weather Day
- Spring Break – first full week in April
- Last day of school for students – fourth Thursday in May
- Post planning second semester – fourth Friday in May
