School board approves school calendar policy
The Fairfax County School Board approved a policy framework for the development of school calendars.
The policy adopted on June 11 states the school board “is committed to a clear, reliable academic calendar that prioritizes academic and instructional continuity, to the greatest extent possible in the form of full school weeks.”
The new policy responds to complaints from parents that the school calendar has become too fragmented, with too many days off and not enough five-day weeks, resulting in childcare burdens and a shorter-than-ideal summer break.
The new policy is in line with a 2026-27 calendar adopted by the board in April that eliminated the Veterans Day holiday and reduced the number of early release days.
The calendar framework, introduced by school board member Karl Frisch (Providence), includes the following components:
Start of school – As mandated by state law, the first day of school shall be no earlier than 14 days before Labor Day. School will be closed on Labor Day and the preceding Friday.
Last day of school – The school year shall end before Juneteenth (June 19).
Breaks – Winter break shall be two full weeks, inclusive of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Spring break shall be one full week and aligned to the greatest extent possible with surrounding school divisions.
Federal holidays – All federal holidays, except Veterans Day, are designated student holidays. The Wednesday before and the Friday after Thanksgiving Day shall be designated as student and staff holidays.
Religious holidays – School will be closed on Christmas, Diwali, Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Fitr, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur.
Observance days – The superintendent, in consultation with appropriate staff, shall designate specific cultural and religious holidays as observance days on the school calendar.
On these dates, staff should avoid scheduling major tests or extracurricular activities whenever practical. Instruction of new material is permitted. Veterans Day shall be classified as an observance day and shall include educational programming about the contributions of veterans to society.
Teacher workdays – Whenever possible, teacher workdays and professional development time will occur during weeks with student holidays.
Elections – To ensure the safety of students and staff, the superintendent shall close schools to students on days with regularly scheduled division-wide primary and general elections.
Special elections – The superintendent shall close schools on days when special elections are conducted in a substantial number of schools.
Early release days – There shall be no more than four division-wide early release days per school year, held at the end of each academic quarter. These early release days shall be included on the academic calendar when it is published three years in advance.
Elementary schools can be provided up to four additional division-wide early release days. The superintendent may also authorize additional early release days for secondary schools for testing, graduation, or other limited purposes. Whenever possible, the additional early release days shall be announced before the end of the preceding school year.
Emergency closures – The superintendent may declare emergency school closures due to inclement weather in consultation with staff and local public safety officials. The superintendent shall develop a procedure to communicate these decisions to the school community in a timely manner.
Community engagement – The superintendent shall provide the community with the opportunity to provide feedback on the school calendar at least every other school year. Such feedback may be gathered through various methods, such as public surveys, community meetings, and community advisory groups.
Calendar adoption – The school board shall publicly adopt academic calendars that meet or exceed all instructional time requirements established by state law. The superintendent shall present draft calendars to the school board for consideration and maintain three years of approved calendars.
The school board approved a follow-on motion directing the superintendent to establish a Calendar Advisory Committee to report to the superintendent on the development of future school calendars.