Harford County Public Schools approve pre-Labor Day start for 2023-2024 school year

Tony Roberts, The Aegis, Bel Air, Md.
·2 min read

Dec. 21—The Board of Education of Harford County approved its 2023-2024 calendar during its board meeting Monday night. Next school year will feature a pre-Labor Day start as well as a longer summer vacation.

The calendar, as developed by members of the board-appointed Calendar Committee, includes a pre-Labor Day start date for the next school year on Aug. 28, 2023. The school year for prekindergarten students will begin Aug. 30, 2023.

Schools and offices will be closed during one-day federal holidays, including Martin Luther King Day in January, Presidents Day in February and Memorial Day in May, as well as the Jewish High Holiday of Yom Kippur on Sept. 25, 2023.

Thanksgiving break starts with an early dismissal on Nov. 22, 2023 and schools and offices will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 23 and 24, 2023. Winter break also begins with an early dismissal on Dec. 22. Students and staff return on Jan. 2, 2024.

Spring break for students will begin Mar. 22, 2024 with early dismissal. Schools and offices will be closed Mar. 27 through Apr. 1, 2024 Teachers will take part in professional development during that time, on Mar. 25 and 26, 2024.

Six makeup days for inclement weather have been built into the calendar, and June 5, 2024, will be the last day of school for kindergarten through 11th grade if none of those days are used. However, the last day will be June 15 if all of those days are used.

In 2016, Gov. Larry Hogan mandated a post-Labor Day start, creating a political fight. But the Maryland General Assembly overturned this decision in 2019, giving local school boards control over the calendar. Some counties voted to start the year prior to Labor Day.

Harford County Public Schools ultimately decided to start its 2021-2022 school year after Labor Day. The 2022-2023 school year followed the same pattern.

However, the Board of Education of Harford County proposed a calendar with the a pre-Labor Day start for the 2023-2024 school year. The proposed calendar was presented to the board on Sep. 19 and was put out for public comment.

The school system received 793 comments and 709 comments mentioned the start date. Although 466 of the 709 comments were for a post-Labor Day start, the board with a 6-3 vote approved to have a pre-Labor day start. With a pre-Labor day start, the 2023-2024 school year will end at an earlier date while having longer summer vacation than the previous year.

The only revisions to the calendar since it was put out for public comment was that the school system removed a May 3 early dismissal because of conflict with kindergarten registration, and added April 23, 2024 as a closing for the primary election.