Schools

Parents Revolt Against School Calendar Changes to Summer Break

The DeKalb County School System is backing off proposed plans to curtail summer vacation next year after heavily negative polling response.

So, parents – likely many from the North Druid Hills-Briarcliff area – have spoken, and one thing is abundantly clear.

Don't mess with our summer vacation.

The DeKalb County School System has backed off its plans to spread the summer vacation out across the year more because it irritated plenty of parents who claimed they already planned their vacations.

Find out what's happening in North Druid Hills-Briarcliffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

From an Atlanta Journal-Constitution story:

The idea, officials say, was to limit students' loss of knowledge over the long summer and to give teachers more development time each week.

Find out what's happening in North Druid Hills-Briarcliffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I heard clearly from teachers ... that they wanted some time," Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson said Wednesday. She also heard clearly from parents who didn't want to give that time, at least not next year.

Nearly 37,000 people responded to an online survey that sought comment on three proposed calendars for the 2012-13 school year, said Deputy Superintendent Kathy Howe. About 1,500 responded in the first hour, more than typically respond to any kind of school district survey, she said.

Do you think parents will feel differently if the school system plans ahead two years? Or is this simply a "save our summer" response from county parents? Tell us in the comments section below.


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