The Clark County Public Schools Board of Education heard its first reading of a draft calendar for the 2022-23 school year.

The draft calendar that the board selected set Aug. 16 as opening day for students and May 23, 2023, as closing day for them.

Staff would report on Aug. 15 and go home for the summer on May 24, 2023.

Fall break would be from Oct. 14-17.

Winter break would be from Dec. 19 to Jan. 2.

Spring break would be from April 3-7.

A three-day Thanksgiving break, held from Nov. 23-25, would return after the board amended this year’s schedule to make it a five-day holiday.

District teachers received two works days: Nov. 8 and March 15.

The calendar is based on the preferences revealed in 428 returned parent and 473 returned staff surveys.

The parents and staff agreed on a start date but differed on one issue: Thanksgiving break.

Sixty-seven percent of staff polled preferred a whole week of holiday break, while 63 percent of parents responded they preferred the traditional break.

Per Kentucky law, the board must hear a second reading of the calendar before its members can vote on it.

In other calendar-related matters, the school board voted to allow district officials to use banked time for the current school year if any more inclement weather forces the district to close.

So far this year, the district has used eight NTI days and one snow day, Superintendent Molly McComas said.

The planned closing day for students is still May 26. School staff will finish up the year the next day.
Health Services Students Honored

Twenty-seven students from the Clark County Area Technology Center were honored for passing the National Health Career Association’s certification exam to become licensed phlebotomy technicians.

The course, which the center’s health services department offered, was completed with a 100 percent pass rate.

“They have worked very hard to complete all their required modules, required labs, venipunctures, and study for a very difficult exam, all while many of them working and participating in sports or other extracurricular activities,” McComas said.

Lauren Harney and Heath Abner teach the course.