School to begin post Labor Day; monthly systemwide early dismissals
During its regularly scheduled business meeting on December 19, 2016, the Board of Education of Harford County unanimously passed Superintendent Barbara Canavan’s proposed 2017-18 school calendar, following a 60-day public input window.
The upcoming school-year calendar features two significant changes from recent previous school years. First, school begins for students (K through grade 12) on Tuesday, September 5, 2017, after the Labor Day holiday. School begins for pre-kindergarten students on Thursday, September 7, 2017.
Second, three-hour early dismissal days will occur once a month for all schools, not just elementary schools. Early dismissals will occur on Friday, September 15; Thursday, October 19; Thursday, November 9; Friday, December 22; Friday, January 12; Friday, February 16; Friday, April 20; and Friday, May 25.
There are seven inclement weather makeup days built into the calendar that will be used in this order: Friday, June 8; Monday, June 11; Tuesday, June 12; Wednesday, June 13; Thursday, June 14; Friday, June 15; and Wednesday, March 28. Friday, June 15, 2018, is the last student day of the school year.
To view the approved calendar in its entirety, including holidays and scheduled closures for Thanksgiving break, winter break, spring break, and staff professional development, click here.
Each year, the Board of Education of Harford County appoints a Calendar Committee to make recommendations for the “out year” Harford County Public Schools calendar. The 29-person committee – composed of representatives from the community and the school system – is charged with recommending a proposed calendar for the current school year.
The committee meets to reach consensus on the proposed “out year” calendar during the month of September. The proposal is forwarded to the Superintendent who reviews it and makes a recommendation to the Board to adopt the calendar as proposed by the committee or with suggested changes.
The Board receives the Superintendent’s proposal at a public business meeting, holds the proposal over for 60 days to allow for public comment (the proposed calendar is placed on the HCPS website), and then votes to adopt a calendar for the “out year” at a subsequent meeting.
