February Vacation Shortened In Draft 2013-14 Bernards School Calendar

Martin Luther King's holiday also cut from next year's calendar to end school earlier in June 2014.

After hearing from parents, some students and staff in a survey answered by thousands, the Bernards Board of Education on Monday gave preliminary approval to calendar changes including shortening the February 2014 vacation in order to shave six days off the last day of school in June 2014. However, the draft of the revised calendar — on which the board is scheduled to take a final vote on March 4 — also leaves off both Diwali and Martin Luther King's birthday as school holidays. The draft calendar, which school officials said could be revised again before the final March vote, would set Sept. 9, 2013, as the first day of the school year, and June 20 as the last. School Board member Beverly Cwerner, who heads the board's policy subcommittee…

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School Calendar May Be Revised for Next Year

Although already approved, revisions may be made for 2013-14, schools superintendent says.

The Board of Education may already have approved its school calendar for the 2013-14 school year, but concerns about a late final day in June, the need to respond to emergencies such as Hurricane Sandy and other questions about potential school holidays are prompting another look by school officials. "Please be advised that changes to the 2013-14 calendar may be coming," Bernards schools superintendent Nick Markarian said in a special "Friday Folder" announcement to parents last Friday. Markarian said he wanted to share with parents why changes to our school calendar are being considered. "Of particular concern, is the fact that the district’s current practice is creating calendars where the last day of school is very late in June. The …

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Moms Talk Q&A

Moms Talk: Is School Calendar Due for an Overhaul?

Is it time to give up that full week in February? Should Diwali be a school holiday?

This week's discussion at the Board of Education meeting regarding whether the school year ends too late in June and whether the Indian festival of Diwali should be added as a school holiday brought back to the front burner a topic that's been brought up several times. On Monday, two parents spoke up and reminded the board that hundreds of residents had either sent e-mails or signed a petition about the same time asking why with the township's Indian population growing, Diwali can't added as a day off on future school calendars. Diwali, the Festival of Lights, falls on Nov. 13 this year. But even before the parents' comments, Board Member Beverly Cwerner had reported that the board's policy committee had been planning to re-examine future …

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