The Loudoun County public school system in Northern Virginia has decided not to move ahead with a controversial plan to delay start times for more than a dozen school days.
School officials were considering adding 16 delayed start days to the calendar for the 2024-25 school year as part of a plan to give teachers more time to complete training.
After hearing negative feedback from families, however, the plan has been thrown out.
“This was a great example for us to show that when we solicit feedback, we are listening, and we can pivot,” said Loudoun County School Board member Lauren Shernoff. “I think that’s really important.”
Shernoff said she was initially in favor of the idea, but she quickly learned that many parents had concerns about child care and a disruption to routines for kids.
Under the plan, teachers would have started their days at the regular time, but students would have arrived two hours late. That would have occurred about two days per month.
The county has three professional development days already included in next year’s calendar, but LCPS Superintendent Aaron Spence said he was worried that those days wouldn’t provide enough time for teachers to finish all of their required training.
Shernoff posted the idea for the 16 delayed start days on her Facebook page, and it was clear to her that the public was generally against it.
“Normally I get a few likes, but I got over 500 comments,” Shernoff said. “People were definitely engaged and definitely concerned.”
Out of all the social media interactions she had regarding the plan, only about four people were in favor of it.
“Literally everyone else was very opposed,” Shernoff said. “We’re going to go back to the drawing board, and I’m glad we are.”
Spence said school system leaders will continue exploring “alternative options” that would allow teachers to complete their training while “minimizing” any impact on families.
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