Ever wonder why your kids have a week of school off in Feb?

[Sum Dum Gai]

Black History Month began in 1926 as Negro History Week. Dr. Carter G Woodson used this as a way to bring to light the contributions of black people to American history. It was the second week of February because of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two men who he felt were influential to black Americans.

The expansion of Black History Week to Black History Month was first proposed by the leaders of the Black United Students at Kent State University in February 1969. The first celebration of the Black History Month took place at Kent State one year later, in February 1970.[8]
In 1976 as part of the United States Bicentennial, the informal expansion of Negro History Week to Black History Month was officially recognized by the U.S. government. President Gerald Ford spoke in regards to this, urging Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."[9]

Schools in this area have the week which includes President's day off.  That would be the second week of February.  That started in, wait for it, 1977.  Or, immediately after black history month was formally recognized by the current president.

Coincidence, or conspiracy to keep kids out of school for the days that teachers would be focusing on black history?

[muttleynfelix]

Presidents Day is the 3rd Monday ... not the second week. And I have never heard of kids having a week of school off in Feb unless it was snow days.

[Deleted]

My kids don't, and have never, had a week off in February.  They used to have Spring break in March, but apparently they now feel that 2 weeks off for Christmas is a better idea.

[Miss Tequila]

We don't get a week off in February, either. Then again, we get so many snow days that they couldn't possibly give a week off in February, Christmas Break and Easter break...

[The Captain]

Same here, no week off in Feb.  Spring break is still a week with two weeks around xmas.  Their year just lasts into June while I remember school ending in May when I was a kid.

[Deleted]

Jan 22, 2014 16:57:01 GMT -5 muttleynfelix said:

Presidents Day is the 3rd Monday ... not the second week. And I have never heard of kids having a week of school off in Feb unless it was snow days.

Dark's Myth busted!

[Sum Dum Gai]

Schools here get a week in February.  They call it the President's Week Holiday.

[NancysSummerSip]

Does not happen here, either. They do get time off around mid-March to early April, and sometimes that coincides with the Easter/Passover holidays. Kind of a spring break sort of thing. This year, the spring break is a month before the religious holidays, though. Not sure how the district figures it out. But not ever in February.

[Deleted]

Jan 22, 2014 17:04:08 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

Schools here get a week in February.  They call it the President's Week Holiday.

Aren't all the black people in the state in Oakland or Compton?

[Sum Dum Gai]

Aren't all the black people in the state in Oakland or Compton?

I don't know, never been to either place.  I don't see many black folks around though, so maybe.

[whoami]

In Maine, we had a week off in Feb and another in April. When I was in school, we started in early August but had anywhere from 3-5 weeks off for potato harvest around Sept. We would finish in June. I graduated in 85.

In Texas, we have a week in March for spring break.

[Virgil Showlion]

Universities usually offer time off in late January or early February because it's traditionally the time of year that students would commit suicide.

Administrators decided to give students a break in the stress to save lives.

I don't know by how much the same principle extends to grade schools.

A conspiracy to quash black history? As likely as a conspiracy to quash colonial American history if the break happened to coincide with that week, or a conspiracy to quash American religious history if the break coincided with that week, or...

[Sum Dum Gai]

A conspiracy to quash black history?

I know it sounds crazy, but...

As likely as a conspiracy to quash colonial American history if the break happened to coincide with that week

Kids are off the week of Thanksgiving, which is the period of colonial history that focuses on working with the Native Americans.  Coincidence?  Maybe.

or a conspiracy to quash American religious history if the break coincided with that week

Kids aren't in school to ask questions during most major religious holidays.  Coincidence?  Maybe.

[Deleted]

I grew up in Illinois.  We had Lincoln and Washington's birthday's off.  We also had Casimir Pulaski day.

[InsertCoolName]

My kids had like 3 weeks off for Christmas break! And they were going to get 2 weeks for spring break. Thanks to mother nature being very pissed off and confused this year they are down to a week. And last day is now 27th of May. But that will probably change. Still have several more weeks of cold/snow/ice and then we move on into flood season. They could very well go into June. Hahahaha

[Virgil Showlion]

Jan 22, 2014 17:19:45 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

A conspiracy to quash black history?

I know it sounds crazy, but...

As likely as a conspiracy to quash colonial American history if the break happened to coincide with that week

Kids are off the week of Thanksgiving, which is the period of colonial history that focuses on working with the Native Americans.  Coincidence?  Maybe.

or a conspiracy to quash American religious history if the break coincided with that week

Kids aren't in school to ask questions during most major religious holidays.  Coincidence?  Maybe.

Tell you what: If the organization responsible for "black history week" pushes it back a week and schools push their break periods back a week shortly afterward, I'd consider donning my foil cap.

As it stands now, it's just as reasonable to assume that the schools wanted to give students and staff a week-long break sometime in February, and the President's day week (or more specifically, the week of the third Monday in February), which also happens to fall on the same week as Valentine's day (February 14) 4 out of every 7 years, was a particularly fitting time to do so.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Kids had a week off for Thanksgiving, two weeks at Christmas/New Years, a week in February, 8 days in April.. they're like never actually in school.

[siralynn]

I was told schools in the Bay Area have that week off because so many parents would pull their kids out to go skiing that they just gave up and let people have time off to do that. I've seen it called "ski week" in Marin.

[wyouser]

Four days for Thanksgiving, two weeks for Christmas, then generally nothing until a long Easter weekend wherever that falls. Wyoming doesn't take a week off in February.

[zibazinski]

I've never heard of a state giving a week off for presidents week. They now get a day for MLK and nothing for our former presidents.

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

Jan 22, 2014 17:04:08 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

Schools here get a week in February.  They call it the President's Week Holiday.

Maybe your kids are just telling you that they don't have school.... 

[vonna]

My kids have been in several school systems due to all our moves. It seems every region has different breaks.

For us, in the south they had 2 days off for Thanksgiving, 2 weeks off for Christmas, and a week off in March (spring break).

When stationed overseas, they had a week off in October for fall break, 2 days off for Thanksgiving,  2 weeks for Christmas, and a week in March.

In the Northeast, 2 days for Thanksgiving, about 1 and 1/2 weeks for Christmas break -- but a week in both Feb AND April.

My son particularly liked the Northeast schedule, though he missed having a week in October.

[Formerly SK]

Jan 22, 2014 18:52:39 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

I've never heard of a state giving a week off for presidents week. They now get a day for MLK and nothing for our former presidents.

They don't get President's Day?  I thought that was a national holiday.  If I remember correctly Washington and Lincoln's bdays were both in February and were combined to make President's Day.

FYI, MLK day is in January.  Two totally separate events.

[swamp]

My kids get a week in February, it's called midwinter break. Then they get 2 weeks in April, it's called spring break. 

[gooddecisions]

My county starts school after Labor Day, 1/2 day in Sept for planning, Columbus day in Oct, Election day in Nov, Nov 27-29 for Thanksgiving, Dec 23-Jan 3 for Winter break, MLK in Jan, Presidents day in Feb, 1/2 day in March for planning, Apr 14-18 for spring break, Memorial Day in May, and out on June 13. But don't feel bad for them for those months with "only" 1 day off, because they get at least another 10 unplanned days off for weather related cancellations.

[teen persuasion]

My kids have a week + Valentine's day for "mid winter break",  and a week + 1 day for "spring break".  Five or so years ago it was a 4 day weekend for President 's day/Valentine's day and two weeks for Easter vacation. Gotta be PC.  Even Xmas is "winter break".

Regents are set so late this year that school runs thru the last week of June.  Summer is only 9 weeks this year.


ETA:  I think it was BOCES that insisted on the mid winter break schedule change.  The districts found it easier to go along, since they'd have to bus those students during the break.

[Deleted]

Never heard of getting a week off in Feb. 

[Apple]

Jan 22, 2014 19:26:46 GMT -5 Formerly SK said:

Jan 22, 2014 18:52:39 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

I've never heard of a state giving a week off for presidents week. They now get a day for MLK and nothing for our former presidents.

They don't get President's Day?  I thought that was a national holiday.  If I remember correctly Washington and Lincoln's bdays were both in February and were combined to make President's Day.

FYI, MLK day is in January.  Two totally separate events.

President's Day used to be a day off for school.  However, when they made MLK Jr day a mandatory school holiday, many schools tried to drop President's Day as a holiday (since it was not mandatory that schools be off).  They did that ONE YEAR in my little town (I think we were the only district in the state that decided to have school), the first year MLK became mandatory.  Ticked off a bunch of parents, and many refused to send their kid to school on President's Day.  So many, that the school district hasn't tried to do that again, and now they get both days off every year.  President's Day is an "in service" day though, not a "holiday" like MLK Jr day.

[mmhmm]

I don't think the kids here get a week off in February, either.  They do get both MLK day and President's day and a week in April for Spring Break.

[zibazinski]

Nope, nothing for presidents day