Parents in Palm Beach and Broward counties have been sending a message to their school boards: They want officials to reverse the trend of school start dates slipping earlier and earlier into August.
Palm Beach County school board members were set to approve on Wednesday new calendars for 2020 and 2021 that started school on Aug. 10, the earliest date allowed by state law.
But they delayed the calendar approvals after a public outcry over the early openings.
They plan to get additional public input during a workshop in June, although School Board Chairman Frank Barbieri Jr., said messages to the board have been “lopsided” in favor of a later start date.
Aug. 10 “seems to be too early,” Barbieri said. “But there are a lot of challenges to accommodating everyone’s concerns.”
Broward schools also are getting emails from parents, including Jamie Horwitz, of Weston, who believes South Florida should get in sync with Northeastern school systems that start school after Labor Day.
“Why do kids need to go back to school literally in the middle of (what used to be considered) summer?” Horwitz asked. “A large part of our country goes back after Labor Day, so why are Palm Beach and Broward schools getting earlier and earlier?
“Kids should be allowed to be kids and enjoy a summer break without thinking about going back to school in late July.”
Broward schools have not yet announced a 2020 school start date, but their openings have also been trending earlier and earlier: School will start next year on Aug. 14, similar to the Aug. 15 opening in 2018. Those dates are about a week earlier than the previous openings of Aug. 22, 2016, and Aug. 21, 2017.
Both counties have a goal of completing the first semester each year before winter break. Each semester must have 90 days of school.
Miami-Dade allows its semesters to end after winter break; next year’s calendar shows first semester ending Jan. 16. Its schools are able to maintain start dates later in the month: The schools opened on Aug. 22, 2017, and Aug. 21, 2018, and will start on Aug. 20 this year.
In Palm Beach, the first semester in 2020 has several days off, including two Jewish holidays, Election Day and a week off for Thanksgiving, that contributed to the Aug. 10 recommendation, Barbieri said.
Barbieri said he has received a petition with 700 names and about 100 emails against the Aug. 10 start. Only three or four emails have been in favor, he said.
“I’ve asked the superintendent to look at ways” to start school later, he said.
Parent Karlan Campbell Frank of Boca Raton hopes for the later start. She sees August as prime hurricane season and not a time for school.
“From a family perspective, based on vacations, camp and weather, it makes more sense to start later,” she said. “It feels like the month of August should be summer.”
Lsolomon@sunsentinel.com