Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Stanly County Board of Education approved a resolution Tuesday night requesting the N.C. General Assembly amend its school calendar law to provide local school boards with more flexibility when it comes to determine their own start and end days.

In 2004, the General Assembly passed a school calendar law mandating the opening date for students should be no earlier than the Monday closest to Aug. 26, and the closing date for students should be no later than the Friday closest to June 11. The impetus for the law was to prolong tourism in districts along the coast.

Due to this law, the 2022-2023 school year will not begin until Aug. 29, which is the latest possible start date. Students began the current school year Aug. 23.

The late start creates several problems. High school students have to wait until after winter break, which begins on Dec. 21, to take exams, which negatively impacts test scores, members said; students who graduate at the end of the first semester will not be able to enroll in community college in January; and it makes it more likely that days during spring break will have to be used as make-up days.

The ultimate goal would be to start the school year no later than Aug. 15, which would allow for greater flexibility.

“I am so in favor of this resolution and moving the start date up two weeks,” chairwoman Glenda Gibson said. “This impacts your child’s learning.”

Gibson said the school board and Superintendent Jarrod Dennis should meet with the county commissioners and Rep. Wayne Sasser to discuss the importance of trying to change the school calendar law.

The board also approved both the 2022-2023 traditional calendar and the 2022-2023 Early College calendar.

The traditional calendar has 10 professional days, 11 school holidays, nine sheltered professional days, 10 vacation days and two early release days.