WPS Academic Calendar Task Force

Update 12/11: The School Committee voted December 10 to adopt a new model for the inclusion of religious and cultural holidays in the academic calendar, starting with the 2025-26 school year. After deliberating for more than a month on the recommendations of the Academic Calendar Task Force, discussing many of the available options, and hearing further feedback from the community, the Committee voted to support the model known as “Rotating Model 3.” This model retains Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Good Friday as no-school days every year; and adds an additional one or two holidays, either Diwali, Lunar New Year, and/or Eid Al-Fitr, depending on the year. In the 25-26 WPS Academic Calendar, approved separately by the Committee, Eid Al-Fitr will be a day off school, while Lunar New Year falls during February break, and school will be in session for Diwali. The School Committee would like to express its utmost appreciation to the Academic Calendar Task Force for its extensive and thoughtful work, which was critical to making an informed final decision on the calendar model.

On March 19, 2024, the School Committee appointed a task force to make recommendations regarding the observance of religious and cultural holidays within the Wellesley Public Schools Academic Calendar. The task force includes a variety of stakeholders, including members of the School Committee, members of WPS faculty and staff, WPS parents, and Wellesley High School students, and is subject to the Open Meeting Law.

Background

The WPS Academic Calendar is voted annually by the School Committee, typically within the month of December. (Ref: Policy IC/ICA) Since the 1990s, the Committee has observed the following religious/cultural holidays as part of the WPS Academic Calendar: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Good Friday. Christmas Day, a federal holiday, is not directly observed but falls within the typical December break. Juneteenth (June 19) became a federal holiday in 2021 and was added to the academic calendar beginning with the 2021-22 school year. In recent years, various members of the community have requested that additional days be observed in the calendar, including Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, and Diwali.

In May 2023, the Committee voted Policy IMDA, Accommodations for Religious and Cultural Observances, which provided specific guidance for WPS teachers and staff in working with students and families who are absent from school due to religious or cultural observances. In December 2023, the School Committee voted to add the following three holidays to the 2024-25 calendar: Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, and Diwali. The Committee also committed to creating a task force to study the recognition of religious and cultural holidays and make long-term recommendations. A significant question is how the goal of improving a sense of belonging for all students should best inform the creation of the annual academic calendar.

Charge

In an increasingly diverse community in which WPS strives to ensure a shared sense of value and belonging among students, staff, and families, how should the district approach determining the academic calendar, particularly given the importance of religious and cultural holidays among its stakeholders? As part of its process of creating recommendations for the School Committee, the Task Force, composed of a cross-section of community stakeholders, will consider a range of factors associated with any changes to the WPS Calendar and their impact operationally and programmatically to the district as well as to its culture and climate. The Task Force will develop a report and recommendations for the School Committee’s consideration no later than November 2024.

Meeting Dates (click dates for materials from past meetings)

• April 4, 2024 – Tolles Parsons Center Multi-Purpose Room (View recording)
• April 25, 2024 – Zoom (View recording)
• May 9, 2024 – Zoom (View recording)
• May 23, 2024 – Zoom (View recording)
• June 6, 2024 – Zoom (View recording)
• June 11, 2024 Update to School Committee (View recording)
• September 12, 2024 – Zoom (View recording)
• September 25, 2024 – Zoom (View recording)
• October 9, 2024 – Zoom (View recording)
• October 15, 2024 – Community Forum, 7 p.m. – Zoom (View Recording)
• October 24, 2024 – Tolles Parsons Center multipurpose room, 7 p.m., in Person (View Recording)

Questions, Feedback? Email the Task Force: calendartaskforce@wellesleyps.org 

Task Force Membership

School Committee & Task Force Leadership:

• Linda Chow, Chair
• Niki Ofenloch, Vice Chair