Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Calendar topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District 128 calendar committee recommends later August start, finals before winter break and formal "religious guidance" days
Summary
The district calendar committee presented a 2027–28 draft that pushes the student start to Aug. 18, schedules first‑semester finals before winter break, and establishes "religious guidance" days (excused absences, not additional days off); the board reviewed the plan and asked staff about implementation and communication.
Doctor Kolentes presented District 128’s recommended 2027–28 school calendar after the calendar committee’s fall review and a community survey that drew nearly 1,000 responses. "We received nearly 1000 responses," Kolentes said, and the committee used that input to prioritize start and assessment timing.
The draft meets the community’s top priorities by moving the district’s start one week later than recent calendars; the document shows the first student day as Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2027. Kolentes said the committee also prioritized holding first‑semester finals before winter break to avoid splitting exams across the holiday. Because the start date shifts later in August, the school year will end the week after Memorial Day in 2028, a change Kolentes said the committee and students supported to avoid finals falling over the holiday weekend.
The committee described the calendar as an operational calendar and proposed a formal religious guidance designation for days when major instruction should be limited. Kolentes said Good Friday will remain a state‑mandated holiday and that the draft uses an orange "RG" marker to identify days when religious guidance — not additional school days off — will be in effect. Under the guidance, absences for religious observance would be excused, and "we are asking our staff on the days religious guidance is in place not to give any major assessments," Kolentes said, listing final exams, unit tests and irreversible lab experiences as examples. Families may voluntarily tell schools when a student will miss school for religious reasons so teachers can provide work in advance, but staff may not require disclosure for privacy reasons.
Board members pressed for details about enforcement and extracurriculars. West Poland asked whether student athletes would be penalized under team rules for missing practices for religious observance; Kolentes and Bryant Kelly said the district’s intent is that such absences be excused and not trigger penalties, though they acknowledged coaches may not always know a student’s reason for absence. Kolentes said the district will strengthen proactive communication and staff training, and will update the student handbook to reflect the new guidance.
Kolentes also noted an implementation item for future calendars: in some years adding all requested religious observances as days off could push the school year into mid‑June, which would interfere with summer programs; for that reason the committee recommended marking guidance rather than creating many additional nonattendance days.
The presentation concluded with board members thanking student committee participants for their contributions. Kolentes said that, if adopted after review, district administration will work with building staff on graduation scheduling and communication plans related to the calendar.
