The Prince William County School Board approved its 2021-22 calendar, Wednesday evening. It will be the first time a Prince William County School calendar recognizes religious holidays of multiple religion.
The school board decided to add five days to the end of the school year to allow for these new holiday, rather than adjusting Winter or Spring Break. The 2021-22 school year will end on June 15, 2022, rather than on June 10. The school begins on Aug. 23.
Option C recognizes the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 7, and Yom Yippur, Sept. 16; the Hindu holiday of Diwali, Nov. 4; and the Muslim holiday Eid Al Fitr, May 3. The calendar provides one day off for each holiday.
While the traditional calendar does not refer to any religious holidays by name, it clearly accommodates Christmas over Winter Break. It also accommodaes Good Friday, and the start of Passover during Spring Break. It even tries to provide a long break during Christmas to accommodate travel.
PWCS sent a parent survey asking parents to indicate whether they would prefer Option A or B. Option A, the traditional calendar, included with a two-week Winter Break but does not add any new holidays. Option B adds those holidays but takes days away from the Winter Break that occur before Christmas Eve.
The majority of parents chose Option A. Then the school board requested the administration present a third option, Option C. Like Option A, Option C keeps the two-week Winter Break, but like Option B adds days on to the end of the year.
Many people wanted to keep the long winter break, which begins on Friday, December 18, and return until Monday, Jan. 3. It allows time for travel.
The Thanksgiving Holiday is Nov. 24-26, Spring Break is April 11-15, returning on Monday after Easter. Other school holidays are nation holidays: Veterans’ Day, Nov. 11; Martin Luther King Day Jan. 18; and and President’s Day, Feb. 21. Spring Break has students out of school the week of April 11-15. school returns on Monday, April 18, the day after Easter.
All school board members in attendance approved the resolution: Chairman Babur B Lateef, Adele Jackson (Brentsville), Lillie Jessie (Occoquan), Jennifer Wall, (Gainesville), Loree Williams (Woodbridge), Lisa A Zargarpur (Coles), and Justin Wilk (Potomac).
Check out the 2021-22 PWCS Calendar.
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