Talbot County Board adopts 2025‑26 calendar C with longer spring break, adds March contingency days and a Sept. 12 staff professional day; board authorizes use‑

The Talbot County Board of Education on Jan. 15 adopted the 2025–26 school calendar identified as “calendar C,” adding two weather‑contingent March dates and a September professional‑learning day, and separately approved a superintendent authority to implement a single virtual‑instruction day under Maryland Senate Bill 610 once the district has exhausted its built‑in inclement‑weather days.

The board’s action followed extended discussion about the length and timing of spring break, teacher professional‑learning needs, the effect on families with limited child‑care options, and whether certain calendar days could be pre‑designated as potential make‑up days. The adopted package includes three specific amendments the board recorded in the motion and roll call vote: - March 12–13, 2026: designated as potential inclement‑weather contingency days (will be converted to student days if needed). - Sept. 12, 2025: added as an additional half‑day for students/half work‑day for staff to launch job‑embedded professional learning. - Last possible student day: the calendar lists Friday, June 12, 2026 as the last possible student day if inclement days are used (alternative last‑day scenarios appear on the calendar depending on whether the district exhausts built‑in inclement days).

Vote and dissent: the calendar motion passed on a roll‑call vote; at least one board member recorded a dissent (identified in the meeting record as May). The board’s discussion and the roll‑call were recorded in the meeting minutes; the calendar committee had recommended calendar A at first reader but the board selected calendar C with the amendments listed above.

Virtual instruction authority: under Senate Bill 610 the board separately authorized the superintendent to implement a virtual‑instruction day in cases of severe inclement weather after the built‑in inclement days in the calendar are exhausted and after the board has demonstrated good‑faith efforts to alter the calendar to accommodate missed days. The superintendent said the district’s learning management system and device deployment make a single virtual day feasible for most grades; kindergarten and pre‑K were excluded from virtual‑day expectations in the bill and will rely on packets or alternative materials where necessary.

Earlier amendment (make‑up day): the board also earlier in the meeting approved an amended calendar that moved the last student day for the current school year to Friday, June 13, 2024 to make up one inclement‑weather closure that exhausted the calendar’s built‑in days. Staff noted that under the negotiated agreement many staff complete required Safe Schools training outside regular work time, reducing the number of teachers who would be required to come in on an additional post‑school‑year workday.

Why it matters: calendar decisions affect families’ childcare planning, timing of state assessments and teacher professional learning schedules. Several board members asked staff to explore staggered starts for pre‑K or transition grades in future cycles and to consider whether March contingency days could be displayed to families as potential make‑up days.

What’s next: staff said the approved calendar and virtual‑day plan will be posted on the district website, and schools will be reminded of operational procedures in case the superintendent invokes a virtual day.

Ending: the board adopted the amended calendar and authorized the virtual‑instruction option; staff will publish the calendar, the virtual‑instruction plan, and the district’s instructions for families and school staff.