Pittsburgh Public Schools board OKs Sept. 3 start date
Students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools have a new date for the first day of school.
The school board Wednesday voted to revise the calendar so that the first day of school will be Sept. 3, rather than Sept. 8.
The district had initially planned to start classes on Aug. 25, but delayed the first day of school because of transportation issues.
“We understand that many families have made alternative plans to accommodate a later start date and this evening’s vote will include additional supports for families at the district level,” Superintendent Anthony Hamlet wrote in a letter to PPS families and staff, which was posted on social media and the district’s website.
Under the proposed plan, teachers would return on Aug. 30.
“This allows all students to start as early as possible while also giving the district time to fully implement transportation strategies designed to meet the bus driver shortage and transport students to school every day,” Hamlet said.
This afternoon, @PPSnews families should have received the following phone message from me related to the proposed changes to the school year calendar, including a September 3rd start date. pic.twitter.com/V4CzLmdj7j
— Dr. Anthony Hamlet (@PghSuptHamlet) August 18, 2021
The new calendar would also convert four previously-scheduled school-based vacation days into instructional days, Hamlet said. Those days include election days on Nov. 2 and May 17, as well as the Monday after Thanksgiving on Nov. 29 and the Monday after spring break on April 18.
The last day of school for students is scheduled for June 16.
“I understand the challenges that many of our families have faced this past year and continue to face as we manage the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic,” Hamlet said. “Our number one goal remains to have all students PreK-12 across the city in school five days a week for in-person instruction.”
Students and staff at Pittsburgh Public Schools will be required to wear face masks during the upcoming academic year.
Julia Felton is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at jfelton@triblive.com.
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