The School Board approved the 2022-23 Alachua County Public School (ACPS) calendar on Feb. 15. The calendar indicates that ACPS Spring Break aligns with that of the University of Florida (UF).
The Spring Breaks are planned to begin on March 13 until the 17th in 2023. This would be a week earlier than the break this school year, which is from March 21 through the 25th.
“… for the first time that I can remember (and I’ve been here a long time!), [the 2022-23 calendar] aligns our Spring Break with UF’s,” said ACPS public information officer Jackie Johnson.
The alignment of the two breaks is one that parents have been begging for, according to Superintendent Dr. Carlee Simon.
“For years, parents have asked the district to align its Spring Break with UF to prevent childcare issues that come with having children off one week and parents off another,” Dr. Simon said. “We believe pushing the break up a week will benefit thousands of families by allowing them to spend that time together.”
Also included in the calendar is the date of the beginning of the school year, which is Wednesday, August 10th. This is the earliest date that students are allowed to return to school under Florida law; however, an earlier return allows more time for schools to meet state testing deadlines.
Flex days are also included in the calendar – these are student holidays that can be used to make up for days lost due to inclement weather and other emergencies. Paid professional development days for teachers are on the calendar as well, but nothing is written in stone because the Alachua County Education Association is still negotiating about those days.
Because UF has not yet released a date for its Homecoming schedule, the ACPS calendar tentatively has scheduled the student/teacher holiday for Friday, October 7th; this date is subject to change depending on UF’s announcement.
Schools will be closed for the entirety of Thanksgiving week.
To see more details, the district’s calendar for the 2022-23 school year can be found here.
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