After much parental anguish over an early start date for Cobb County schools this year, district leaders are slated to soon set the start dates for the next two school years.
On the agenda for the county board of education’s Wednesday work session are two draft calendars for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years, both with start dates of Aug. 1.
The agenda item includes a recommendation from Superintendent Chris Ragsdale to approve the calendars.
If moved along, the calendars will make it onto the agenda of the board's Oct. 26 meeting, at which time they could be voted upon and approved.
This year's start date of July 31 spurred an online petition in opposition that garnered more than 12,000 signatures.
That start date was only one day earlier than last year, but students coming back in the month of July was a symbol for dissenters that this direction to earlier starts was a negative one.
Cobb sets school start dates two years in advance, and two school years at a time.
Check out the proposed calendars below:
Here's what superintendent Chris Ragsdale had to say the first day of Cobb classes this year: