The Plymouth Community School Corporation will be cutting back on the length of spring break, starting in 2020. As part of the 2019-2020 school calendar approved by the school board last week, spring break will be reduced from two weeks down to one week plus the Friday before and the Monday after.
Superintendent Andy Hartley said the change stemmed from discussions within the corporation’s vocational cooperative. “As we approach the end of the year and looking to a couple of things: Number one, just maintain a good, positive momentum with the few remaining weeks of school, and there are a few areas where that may be a little bit tougher near the end of the year, and so reducing that two-week break so close to the end of the year certainly is a motivating factor,” Harley said. “Additionally and kind of tied with that momentum, if you will, there are some key assessments that are happening at the end of the school year.”
Plymouth Education Association President Laura Kruyer noted that at the high school, it’s helpful to have more school days before AP testing. She added that it can be difficult getting students to focus after a two-week break, especially when it comes to seniors.
Plymouth’s 2019-2020 school calendar calls for a first day of class on August 7 and last day on May 28, with one week off for fall break and two weeks off for Christmas break. Hartley said the school corporation will continue using eLearning days when regular classes are canceled. However, some possible make-up days have been built into the calendar, since eLearning will not be used more than three days in a row or before Labor Day.
