Board of Trustees approves 2019-2020 school calendar

Charleston County School District (CCSD) Board of Trustees approved by an 7-0 vote Option 1 of the two options presented by CCSD staff for the 2019-2020 Academic Calendar

Based on survey feedback, two minor changes were made to Option 1. The early release date for September was moved to Friday, September 20, 2019 and the Teacher Workday in October was moved to Friday, October 25, 2019.

The calendar can be viewed here.

Highlights of the 2019-2020 calendar are as follows:

• Start date is August 21, 2019
• End date is June 5, 2020
• Fall Break will be November 27-29, 2019
• Winter Break will be December 23, 2019 through January 2, 2020 (district teachers and staff would report to work on January 3, 2019; students returns January 6, 2020).
• First semester ends January 17, 2020
• Spring Break will be April 6-10, 2020
• State-required Weather Makeup Days are set for November 25-26, 2019 and April 13, 2020. If the Weather Makeup Days are not used, they will turn into days off for students.

Major highlights also include a midweek (Wednesday) start, and a guarantee President’s Day holiday for students.

The calendar must now be submitted to the State Department of Education for final approval.

For more on the requirements for the Academic Calendar, click here.

CCSD believes that each and every instructional day matters, and will do everything it can to protect instruction. According to state law (S.C. Code of Laws Title 59 Education, Chapter 1 SECTION 59 1 425), academic calendars must:

• Have 190 days total
• Cover at least nine calendar months
• Not start before the third Monday in August (unless a state exemption is created and approved for a specific year)
• Use 180 days for instruction
• Use three days for PD
• Use the remaining seven days for teacher planning, academic plans, and parent conferences

In addition, districts must have three weather make-up days built into their academic calendars. If there is severe weather and the district is forced to close school, the district is required to use these built-in make-up days first (for instructional days). This is not an option, even if the governor calls for a mandatory evacuation due to an impending storm.

If inclement weather causes a district to cancel school for more than three instructional days (and the district has been forced to use all of its built-in make-up days), the Board of Trustees can then vote to forgive up to three additional days. If more than six days are lost to inclement weather, the state can forgive an additional five days.

 

About the Charleston County School District

Charleston County School District (CCSD) is the second largest school system in South Carolina representing a unique blend of urban, suburban, and rural schools that span 1,000 square miles along the coast. CCSD serves more than 50,000 students in 86 schools and specialized programs. With approximately 6,100 employees district-wide, CCSD is the fourth largest employer in the region.

CCSD offers a diverse, expanding portfolio of options and specialized programs, delivered through neighborhood, charter, magnet, IB (international baccalaureate), and Montessori schools, and is divided into three Learning Communities. Options include specialized programs in science, engineering and mathematics; liberal arts; music and other creative and performing arts; career and technical preparation programs; and military and other public service enterprises.