The following information is determined by North Carolina State Law, School Board policy, administrative practice, and community preference whenever possible.
Schools must open no earlier than August 25 and close no later than June 10.
You must have a total of 215 working days for teachers. Included in these 215 days must be:
180 instructional days for students
10 holidays (minimum) The state holidays are Labor Day, Veterans Day, 2 days for Thanksgiving, 2 days for Christmas (*except when Christmas falls on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday it is three days), New Year's Day, ML King Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day (July 4 is a holiday for 12-month employees only.)
Veterans' Day shall be a holiday for all public school personnel and for all students.
When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be observed as the holiday.
Holidays for schools may be celebrated on dates other than the public holiday date set by the state.
10 designated annual leave (vacation) days
15 teacher workdays (5 must be designated as protected for teachers with no additional duties assigned; one at beginning of school and one at end of each quarter. These days cannot be make-up days). When there are 11 holidays, there will be only 14 teacher workdays.
7 workdays must be designated as days teachers may take annual leave (optional workdays), although non-required staff development can be offered.
A maximum of 8 workdays may be designated as required
7 days should be designated as make-up days for inclement weather.
The school year is divided into 4 grading periods. Each grading period should consist of a 45-day quarter.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lee County Schools Traditional Calendar
Who decides what the traditional calendar will look like?
A Calendar Committee consisting of at least one parent representative from each school, one faculty member from each school, and central office personnel meet to develop a draft traditional calendar. Members then discuss issues with teachers and other parents to gather input. Appropriate adjustments are made from the feedback. A final draft is developed and presented to the Board of Education for approval.
How are the Required and Optional workdays chosen?
Lee County School administrators generally designate 6 workdays to be required in order to present system-wide staff development. Principals may designate additional days as long as there remains 7 optional workdays.
What is a "protected" workday?
A section of the Calendar law sets aside 5 teacher workdays as "...protected to allow teachers to complete instructional and classroom administrative duties." These 5 days can be optional or required. Appropriate activities include:
