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A school calendar for all

The Lisbon school board last week touched on a subject that is sure to stir fervent arguments on all sides of the issue — changing the traditional school calendar.

Moving away from the traditional school year with summers off to adopting a calendar calling for year-round classes was discussed, although the board backed away from serious consideration of such a change. Teachers in the audience were not totally opposed to the year-round school option but voiced concerns about coordinating athletic schedules with districts which maintain a traditional school calendar.

One school board member who indicated he might favor a year-round option was rightfully concerned about keeping students engaged in the learning process during the two-and-a-half month summer break.

Another option discussed involved keeping the traditional calendar but having school start before Aug. 20. However, others were concerned that starting the school year before Aug. 20 would not be acceptable to parents.

There is probably no way to please everyone involved, but accommodating the summer vacation schedules of parents shouldn’t be the school district’s biggest priority. On the other hand, any school calendar change might be more palatable if the same schedule was adopted throughout the county.

As it is now neighboring districts may have up to two weeks’ difference in their annual starting dates. If everyone started at the same time and had the same breaks, it would be easier to schedule athletics and other events.

A common calendar for Columbiana County schools has been talked about many times over the years, but the idea has never been implemented.

We realize it would take years to get something like this planned and in place, but perhaps now is a good time to take a serious look at this.

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