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COLLETON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Colleton County School District is hosting the first of three community meetings today to discuss the plans to modify the academic calendar for the 2022-2023 school year.
The modified calendar would be nine weeks on then two weeks off. Students would have three weeks off for Christmas and six weeks for summer. Students who haven’t met the standard after the nine weeks will have the opportunity to get intense intervention to get them back on track.
They say summer break plays a big part in kids falling behind and teachers often spend up to six weeks reviewing information that was already taught.
The district says they need this new academic calendar because historically the students in the district have been behind and underperform. Many parents are against this new calendar, but Colleton County Superintendent Dr. Valerie Cave believes this is in the student’s best interest.
“Being able to do the early intervention and being able to work with all of the grade levels only increases our productivity in terms of preparing our children to be that college graduate, that portrait of a graduate that we have here in South Carolina, that’s what we aim to do,” Cave said. “To be able to get our children across the stage on track for graduation.”
Cave has invited the community to in-person meetings this week to hear her presentation for the modified calendar and to give them an opportunity to ask questions. The recommendations will be presented to the board and then will go out for a calendar survey so parents can weigh in on both the modified calendar and traditional calendar.
They will take the final vote after the findings are presented to the board.
The superintendent said the changes would be districtwide if approved.
The dates and locations for these town halls are:
- Colleton County High School Performing Arts Center Monday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Hendersonville Elementary School Cafeteria Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Bells Elementary School Cafeteria Thursday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
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