Millions of school children across the country are enjoying their summer vacations, but not the students of Fairfax County Public Schools, in Virginia, who still have almost two weeks of school ahead of them. A mid-June release date is not that uncommon for schools elsewhere, but those that end in June usually begin after Labor Day. That is not the case with Fairfax County Public Schools. Its schools start in August and run through June, the longest school year in America.
This is because of an embrace of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Fairfax County Public Schools has created one of the most bloated and chaotic calendars in the country: an August-to-June school year, an unusually short summer, a long list of student holidays, and remarkably few normal five-day weeks. This helps no one, inconveniences parents, disrupts student learning, and encourages delinquency.
Before George Floyd’s death and the summer of Black Lives Matter riots, Fairfax County Public Schools had no “cultural” observance or holidays on the calendar. But in a deliberate effort to promote “values of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the board added 15 “observance” days on which student absences would be excused, meaning schools are barred from scheduling tests, quizzes, field trips, or athletic events on those days. Although these observance days do not create a full day off, they disrupt learning because teachers are encouraged not to teach new material while some students are excused from school…