Summer doesn’t officially end on the calendar until Sept. 22.
In reality, the end of summer is coming up much sooner as students, teachers, and administrators prepare to head “back to school.” Blue Ridge Early College opened its doors to students on Wednesday, while Highlands students will be sitting and waiting until Aug. 26 to hit the books for the 2024-25 school year.
But for some students at Highlands, Blue Ridge and Summit Charter, the feeling of being back on the daily grind is already underway. On Monday night several sports teams opened their season on the plateau and ushered in another Fall sports slate. While none of the forementioned schools field a football team, there is stiff competition in boys soccer, girls volleyball, and cross country, and those teams have been practicing for a couple weeks.
As has been the case for years, the school calendar is once again in the spotlight when August rolls around and shows us that the state-mandated guidelines for when school can start and end make little sense.
While neighboring states like Georgia and Tennessee have been in school for a week, or more, and will end their school year in mid-May – North Carolina public school students can’t go back until the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and must get out of school on or before the first Friday of June unless the school district gets a waiver from the state to start sooner (like in Jackson County).
Local school boards have long requested more flexibility to set their own school calendars, but have for years been rebuffed by legislators who have held fast to the old standard that NC schools may not begin before the final Monday of August – A rule put in place in a bygone era in Raleigh to promote tourism and an extended beach season along the NC coast.
It’s silly, and outdated, but it’s not changing for the 2024-25 school year. So Jackson and Macon counties will operate under very different school calendars, both of which are at least a week behind neighboring states.
It’s time to let the local school boards determine their own calendars.