Letters to the Editor: Now Time to Return School Start to After Labor Day

Letters to the Editor: April 2 – 8, 2020

Now Time to Return School Start to After Labor Day

Editor,

With the uncertainty of Covid-19 and the lead time necessary, now would seem to be the time to proactively return the start of school to after Labor Day.

The precaution of moving the start of the school year for 2020-21 to the latest date possible seems advisable in order to prepare for ongoing social distancing and to allow the pandemic the longest possible time to run its course.

The schools already have a calendar extremely similar to the one adopted that starts after Labor Day.

This isn’t about who or how many people voted for which calendar. It’s about dealing with the facts on the ground.

Starting early to get more instruction days was one of the reasons for choosing two weeks before Labor Day. Now, starting after Labor Day provides the greatest likelihood of the maximum possible real, in-person instruction school days. While the virtual classroom is a good makeshift alternative the maximum amount of in-classroom instruction days should be the goal.

Also it moves back Mason Moving Day, allowing more time for completion of the new High School facility. Construction must be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Moving the school year start date to after Labor Day will at least give the possibility of the new building opening on time. Even if moving day can be only after winter break, the later start of winter break gives almost a month of additional construction time for completion of the new facility.

Additionally, I don’t think it’s right to ask people to work on the construction site and risk their health and the health of their families. Even if construction continues, one worker contracting or coming in contact with Covid-19 seemingly would effectively grind work to a halt with quarantines. It’s not worth the risk

Dave Rifkin

Falls Church


Letters to the Editor may be submitted to letters@fcnp.com or via our online form here. Letters should be limited to 350 words and may be edited for content, clarity and length. To view the FCNP’s letter and submission policy, please click here.

Recent News

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
On Key

Stories that may interest you

F1: The Movie In Theaters

Lisa Released on June 27, this is a big sports drama about professional auto racing and personalities behind the scenes. Brad Pitt continues to defy his age in the action

Our Man In Arlington 7-10-2025

For my “Front-Page History” series, today we are looking at headlines from July 2, 1977, just one day after the new Virginia laws passed by the General Assembly went into

A Penny for Your Thoughts 7-10-2025

Hope may be a theological virtue, an inspiration or an aspiration, even a town in Arkansas, but hope is not a strategy.  Hope is not a plan.  General Colin Powell

Support Local News!

For Information on Advertising:

Legitimate news organizations need grass roots support like never before, and that includes your Falls Church News-Press. For more than 33 years, your News-Press has kept its readers informed and enlightened. We can’t continue without the support of our readers. This means YOU! Please step up in these challenging times to support the news source you are reading right now!