ST. LOUIS — When it comes to the 2020-21 school year, the superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools said he wants students back in school "as early as possible."
In a virtual school board meeting conducted over Zoom, Superintendent Kelvin Adams proposed schedules starting on Aug. 4 and Aug. 11, both of which he said were earlier than the district has ever done.
Other school districts in the area are planning on starting the school year on Aug. 24 in accordance with a new law passed in July. The new law pushes back the earliest possible start date for public schools by an extra four days, from the current 10 days before the first Monday in September to 14 days before then.
Adams said the district appealed the law because the district includes charter schools and charter schools are not included in the new law, but that appeal was denied. He did say there were discussions that the state might allow some flexibility with the new start date law due to current circumstances, but that is not a certainty at this point.
"Even with me providing you with this calendar, I may come back at a later time — depending upon some new information I might obtain — and make some adjustments," Adams said in the meeting.
Adams said there is still a possibility of summer school in the district, and it could start as late as July.
Adams said the schedule is still subject to change.
The plan with a start date of Aug. 4 would end the school year on May 12, and the plan with a start date of Aug. 11 would end on May 19.
You can watch the full school board meeting below or by clicking here.
