With winter break over, many families are starting to dream of warm weather and plan summer vacation. Dearborn Public Schools is releasing next year’s school calendar to assist with that vacation planning.
Again next school year, class will resume in August on the Monday before Labor Day, and students and staff will have both Friday and Monday off for a long Labor Day weekend. Schools will be closed for two weeks over the winter holidays, a four-day weekend in February 2021 for mid-winter break, six days for spring break over Easter in April 2021, and three days in May 2021 for Eid al-Fitr.
Many factors go into determining the school calendar including a state requirement for 180 days of school, a countywide common calendar, community needs, and professional development obligations. The administration and the Dearborn Federation of Teachers spend many hours working together on the various details that need to be considered before a final calendar is approved.
The 2020-21 calendar is only the third time the Dearborn Public Schools has had to follow a change in state law requiring schools to provide 180 days of instruction. That change added five days to the school year. Another state
law requires that school start after Labor Day, but districts are allowed to request a waiver to start earlier. Next year will be the third year in a row that Dearborn Schools has started before Labor Day. For Dearborn Public Schools, starting earlier allows schools to continue to get out in mid-June, hopefully before the weather turns too hot. Many of the district’s buildings are not air-conditioned. The last day of class next school year will be Friday, June 18, 2021.
The county common calendar sets the dates for winter break, spring break, Good Friday, and Presidents Day. The school calendar also must reflect the needs of the local community, which for Dearborn means days off around the Eid holidays. Districts lose some state funding if attendance falls below 75 percent at any building.
The 2020-21 district calendar once again includes late start dates that will be used for professional development and school improvement planning. The late starts dates have been extremely helpful in providing teachers and
principals with time to meet, collaborate with colleagues, work on school improvement goals, and improve student instruction. The first of the seven late start dates will occur on Wednesday, September 23, and will continue on various Wednesdays throughout the year.
The 2020-21 calendar is posted on the District’s website and can be accessed by visiting https://dearbornschools.org/district/district-calendars. Visitors will be able to download a PDF version or view an
online calendar. Parents are reminded to check with their child’s school for important events and activities unique to their school and not appearing on the District calendar.