The first day of school will be two days later than originally scheduled for Carmel Clay Schools students.
The school board unanimously approved a change to the school calendar at its July 27 meeting that moves the start of the school year from Aug. 11 to Aug. 13. The delay will give teachers extra time without students present to prepare to manage a classroom or teach virtually in a pandemic.
CCS Supt. Michael Beresford said teachers will spend much of the time during the two extra days learning how to protect their classrooms from the spread of COVID-19.
“There will be a lot of professional development and a lot of working on procedures,” Beresford said. “We’re also going to have the instructional assistants in on those days so we can make sure we have all of our bases covered.”
The state requires schools to complete 180 instructional days each year. CCS had 182 instructional days in its 2020-21 calendar, with the two extra days planned to be used as snow days in inclement weather.
Beresford said the district is much better prepared to hold a virtual learning day in case of bad weather this year than it has been in the past. He said CCS will likely hold classes virtually this year instead of having a snow day.
CCS is offering in-person and virtual class options for students in elementary and middle school. High school students may take all virtual classes or attend in-person every other day as part of a hybrid option.
Beresford said approximately 20 percent of students are expected to take classes virtually this year, with the rest expected to attend in-person or utilize the high school’s hybrid model.
