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Public commenter urges new survey after school calendar change; presents 255-signature petition
Summary
A public commenter told the Manassas school board a planned spring-break alignment lacks transparency and presented a petition with 255 signatures, calling the board’s prior survey misleading and urging broader communication or a new survey.
Anna Deario told the Manassas City Public Schools board during public comment that community stakeholders oppose the division’s proposed spring-break alignment and delivered a petition she said carries 255 signatures.
"We do have 255 signatures on our petition," Deario said, urging the board to revisit the change after a work session on April 18 in which, she said, the record does not support the board’s characterization that there was "no appetite" to continue the conversation.
Deario pressed three lines of concern: attendance and equity, staff impacts, and the survey's design. She said the board has previously emphasized reducing absences to support accreditation, and questioned how the board could now claim excused absences address equity for families observing Holy Week and Passover. She also said staff and families were not meaningfully notified and that the earlier survey offered no true choice between alternate spring-break weeks, calling the survey result an inappropriate justification for the current calendar.
The board did not take action in response to Deario’s remarks that evening. The public comment period concluded and the meeting proceeded to the consent agenda; board members acknowledged the comment but did not move to reopen calendar discussion at that meeting.
Why it matters: The calendar affects families’ ability to observe religious holidays, cross‑district travel patterns, and staff scheduling. Commenters warned that if staff call out in large numbers during the contested week, schools could be forced to rely on limited supervision options that, they said, harm students’ learning conditions.
What’s next: Deario asked the board either to run a new, comparative survey that offers a real choice of alternative weeks or to develop a serious operational plan to support schools if a large-scale staff absence occurs. The board did not set a follow-up action on the record that evening.
