Well, it hasn't been officially proposed but members of the Lafayette Parish School Board are seeking input from educators and administrators concerning a change on when classes should begin in the parish.

Currently, classes for Lafayette and most parish schools in Acadiana begin the school year around the middle of August. The School Board is currently vetting the idea of starting the school calendar after Labor Day in September. 

Some of the concerns that the Board and Administrators will have to iron out include how a schedule change might affect class days. For example, would holidays around Thanksgiving and Christmas be cut shorter than they are currently scheduled? Would it be better to allow the school year to extend into June?

Academically there is concern that delaying the start of school would mean less classroom time for teachers to prepare students for state-mandated testing. Others have expressed concern over how the later start date would affect athletics.

Regardless, the Board will make sure that students do have the required number of classroom days regardless of when the first day of classes is scheduled. I am also sure that with the caliber of educators we have in Lafayette Parish bringing students up to speed on the standardized testing material can be accomplished even with fewer days to prepare.

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