KEEP THE CURRENT CALENDAR LAW

Our mission is to inform the public and law makers about the importance of maintaining North Carolina’s current school calendar law. Our coalition is made up of parents, teachers, small business owners and travel and tourism groups dedicated to ensuring students across the state have an adequate summer break.

By requiring school districts to start after August 25th and end before June 10th, the law provides consistency across the state and ensures students have enough time for jobs, camps, family reunions and other traditional summertime activities.

Before the current school calendar law passed in 2004, North Carolina’s public schools had a patchwork of different school start and end dates. Some districts started as early as the beginning of August or even late July.

Opponents of the law are aiming to repeal or substantially weaken it during the upcoming session of the NC legislature. These opponents represent a tiny number of North Carolinians, but they are committed to harming the calendar law, are organized, and are vocal in their opposition

We need your help to stop them. Please sign up for our newsletter in the “Get Email Updates” field above and tell your legislator to support the current school calendar law.

It’s popular

• 71% of North Carolinians support the current school calendar law with its late August start date.¹
• 80% of North Carolinians says it’s better to start school in late August than late July or early August. View the full survey results.

It’s good for families and students

• A large majority (66%) of North Carolinians agree that ensuring students have enough time for summer jobs, camps, family vacations and other traditional summertime activities is important.
• It makes sure students and teachers are able to hold down often much-needed summer jobs. Learn more.

It’s good for our economy

• Allowing schools to start in late July or early August could cause significant loss of jobs and money from tourism in the state.
  66% of North Carolinians say helping the economy should be a consideration when looking at school calendar law. Learn more.

¹ All survey data from Public Policy Polling, 9/3/08 : http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/SchoolCalendarMemo1.pdf