The Baltimore County Public School Board approved its 2017-18 academic year calendar on Nov. 9 to comply with Gov. Larry Hogan’s executive order that public schools open after Labor Day.
The approved calendar was the only one of the three options that complied with Hogan’s order while keeping schools closed on Rosh Hashanah.
“We appreciate that the members of the board heard our discussion about logistical and operational issues that would arise should schools remain open on Rosh Hashanah,” said Howard Libit, executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council. “We would like to thank them for making the right decision for the large population of Jewish students and teachers in the school system.”
The newly approved calendar’s one notable disadvantage is that it only plans for five inclement weather days as opposed to seven proposed in other versions of the calendar. In the case that the school system is forced to close for more days, additional days are planned to be added to the end of the school year as opposed to making spring or winter break shorter for students and staff.
— Daniel Nozick
