The Shelby County Board of Education voted to amend the 2022-23 academic calendar at its June 9 board meeting, at the recommendation of Superintendent Lewis Brooks.
Previously, the board had simultaneously approved calendars in March 2021 for the just-completed 2021-22 school year, along with the upcoming 2022-23 school year. Both of those calendars had a Jan Term week for the first week of January. Jan Term was initially implemented to help with the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing students and staff to remain at home and work remotely for one additional week after the Christmas break, in case they were exposed to the virus during the holidays.
The major change to the 2022-23 calendar is the removal of the Jan Term week. Students will have Jan. 2 off for the New Year’s holiday and Jan. 3 off for teacher professional development and will return to class for the second semester on Wednesday, Jan. 4. Teachers and staff will work on Jan. 2 as a remote workday and will return to campus on Jan. 3.
Additional changes for students include attending school on Oct. 7 and Dec. 16, replacing Jan. 2-3 as instructional days. April 21, which had previously been listed as a remote learning day, is now a required teacher professional development day, so students will not attend school.
Shelby County Schools will begin with a staggered start on Thursday, Aug. 11 (last names A-J), and Friday, Aug. 12 (last names K-Z). The last day of the 2022-23 school year will be Friday, May 26, with a 1 p.m. dismissal.
School and offices closed:
► Sept. 5: Labor Day
► Oct. 10: Professional development
► Nov. 11: Veterans Day
► Nov. 21-25: Thanksgiving break
► Dec. 19-Jan. 3: Christmas break
► Jan. 16: Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday
► Feb. 20: Professional development
► March 10: Professional development
► March 27-31: Spring break
► April 21: Professional development
During the meeting, the board also:
► Adopted the ELA core program for grades K-5
► Approved out-of-state field trips for Chelsea High School soccer and volleyball teams
► Approved 2022-23 code of conduct revisions, which added hemp, cannabis or any mood-altering substances to the illegal drugs section; also all uses of corporal punishment were removed
► Approved a new job description for the custodial technician assistant
► Approved a $0.25 increase for the cost of school meals for paid students (elementary will now be $1.75 for breakfast and $2.50 for lunch; middle and high will be $1.75 for breakfast and $2.75 for lunch)
► Approved floor refinishing services
► Rejected a bid from Chase Building Group for classroom additions at Calera Middle School
