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Virginia Beach School Board to send calendar back to committee because of conflict with Jewish holiday

The first day of school for the 2021-2022 school year in Virginia Beach students falls on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. People urged the board to change that.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach School Board will decide whether to adopt a motion to suspend the 2021-2022 school calendar after an issue arose with the first day of school.

Most students in Hampton Roads usually return to school from summer break the day after Labor Day.

In 2021, that day is Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year.

Strong backlash from the Jewish community in Virginia Beach prompted school officials to step back, review the calendar and make some possible changes.

The school board received a report last October urging officials to consider starting school before Labor Day and give staff 10 days of professional leave. A survey was put out to the community which found that a majority of the community would prefer a post-Labor Day school start.

A Calendar Workgroup was created with the sole task of developing future school calendars that would maintain a post-Labor Day start; however, they established the 2021-2022 school calendar without realizing that Rosh Hashanah coincided with the day after Labor Day.

Now, the school board is taking another crack at figuring out a different school start date for that year, while still being able to maintain the 181-day school calendar commitment.

On the agenda for their meeting on Tuesday is a vote to take up a motion to suspend the finalized 2021-2022 school calendar.

If they adopt that motion, the Calendar Workgroup will meet again to review the issue and come up with other viable options for the calendar.

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