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Clayton County board adopts 2025–26 calendar, approves GSBA recognition and board vision; pulls policy revision for rewrite
Summary
At its March meeting the Clayton County Board of Education approved the 2025–26 school calendar and moved forward with Georgia School Boards Association recognition and a board vision resolution, while postponing final action on a policy revision after members raised concerns about discriminatory language.
The Clayton County Board of Education on Monday approved the 2025–26 school calendar and voted to pursue Georgia School Boards Association recognition and a board vision resolution, while pulling a proposed revision to policy series F for further work.
Board members approved the calendar by a 6–2 vote with one abstention. Superintendent Anthony W. Smith recommended the calendar based on a district survey; the option adopted was identified in discussion as “option 8,” which corresponds to option 3 on the public survey materials provided to the board. Board members also voted to begin the GSBA recognition process and adopted a board vision resolution required for that recognition.
The calendar decision came after discussion about the district’s “Extending Learning Beyond the Classroom” (ELBC) days and requests from board members to involve teachers and other stakeholders when developing future calendars. Dr. Lee (district administrator) said the district will convene a diverse stakeholder group over the summer to develop calendar options and present recommendations in October for two additional school years, aiming to coordinate more closely with neighboring counties.
Board members asked for follow-up data about ELBC days. A board member asked whether ELBC days are instructional and whether the district can provide data on student access to online lessons; Dr. Lee said those days are considered instructional and that the district can pull prior data from Canvas and other platforms to report how many students accessed lessons.
On the proposed revision to policy series F (third reading), several members said language in the draft appeared discriminatory. After debate over two revision options, the board voted to pull the item from tonight’s agenda and asked members to provide suggested language for a revised draft before the next regular board meeting.
Other action: the board voted to move forward with the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) recognition process and adopted a board vision resolution required for that process. The GSBA recognition motion passed with seven votes and two abstentions; the board vision resolution passed 8–0 with one abstention.
The meeting also approved the consent agenda unanimously earlier in the session.
Votes at a glance
- Consent agenda: approved unanimously (9–0). - Policy series F (third read): pulled for revision and discussion at a future board meeting (action postponed). - GSBA recognition process: approved (7 yes, 0 no, 2 abstentions). - Board vision resolution: approved (8 yes, 0 no, 1 abstention). - 2025–26 school calendar (option identified in discussion as option 8 / survey option 3): approved (6 yes, 2 no, 1 abstention).
Board chair and staff said the district will convene a stakeholder group in the summer to develop multiple calendar renderings and present recommended options to parents, teachers and other stakeholders in the fall, with the goal of approving calendars earlier in future years.
