Although a local school district has changed their school calendar to include more holidays in the name of inclusion, the North Royalton calendar for next year will remain the same.
Recently, the Beachwood City Schools added three new holidays to their academic school calendar. With the upcoming 2023-24 school year, the Beachwood City Schools have added the Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, and Diwali to their list of holidays and their students will have those days off when they fall on a weekday.
Lunar New Year, known as Guo Nian, is one of the most important yearly celebrations in the East and Southeast Asian cultures, including Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean communities.
This Spring Festival next year will be observed on Feb. 9, 2024. Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Breaking Fast, or the Festival of Sweets, marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. It is one of two major Muslim holidays. Next year, it will be observed on April 10, 2024. Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights, is one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Next year, it will be observed on Nov. 1, 2024.
North Royalton School Superintendent Mike Laub said that as of now, the district has no plans to change their calendar. Before the following school year’s calendar is formulated, it is reviewed by the Board of Education and other entities within the district, such as the teacher’s unions. Discussion takes place over a period of time, sometimes with several renditions of the calendar being discussed. A final calendar is then agreed upon and then formally approved by the Board of Education.
The North Royalton City Schools Calendar for the 2023-24 school year has been approved. The first day of the new school year will be Wednesday, August 23. Winter break will start on Monday, December 18, with classes resuming on Tuesday, January 2. Spring Break will take place from Monday, April 1, with classes resuming on Monday, April 8. The last day of school will be Wednesday, June 5. (Note: these dates are for the next school year, not the current school year.)
“The look of our calendar stays pretty consistent, with minor changes, mostly related to how Christmas and Spring break fall,” said North Royalton School Board President, John Kelly. “Our administration reviews the calendar, incorporating the necessary number of school days, the timing of recognized holidays and the inclusion of professional staff development, usually at the end of each grading period. This calendar is presented to the board for discussion and approval.”
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer