The new upcoming school year will see some more than usual changes with different principals, and new added programs and services, but one aspect of the 2015-16 term that will won’t change much is the school calendar which reflects the usual school breaks for students.

Four professional days will be held Wednesday through Friday, August 5-7 and Monday, August 10. One of four professional days for staff only will be Tuesday, August 11 with the official opening day for staff only being Wednesday, August 12. The first day for students to report to class will be next Thursday, August 13.

A “vacation day” for students will be on Monday, September 7 for the Labor Day holiday.

The fall break, which annually corresponds with the October Foothills Festival, will be the week of October 12-16, with students getting and extra sixth day off with Monday, October 19 being the second of four work days for staff only, with students returning for classes after the fall break on Tuesday, October 20.

Two students and faculty breaks will come in November, with the first being school on Election Day Tuesday, November 3. Once again, there will be a three-day break for Thanksgiving, Wednesday through Friday, November 25-27.

The first half of the school year will close out with another extended break for the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays, plus a professional day. Students will be starting Monday, December 21 and will return to class on Tuesday, January 5, 2016.

Students will also be out of class on President’s Day Monday, January 18. Then in February, students will get a two-day break Monday and Tuesday, February 15 and 16 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and a last of four work days for staff only.

Spring break will be take place during the week of April 4-8 and the last day off for students before the end of school will be primary election day Tuesday, May 17.

The final day for students is tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 23 with the official closing day for staff only being Tuesday, May 24.

There are a total of 16 make-up days built into the calendar, all the way up through mid-June, should severe conditions dictate.

There are four professional and work days each for staff only built into the calendar, a total of four holidays and some 172 instructional, or class days, for students.

While reviewing the upcoming year’s calendar, Director of Pupil Personnel Julie York noted that the reason the first week of school in Clinton County is beginning a week later that many school districts in the region and state was to avoid the U.S. 127 Yard Sale, which always brings in heavy traffic around most of the schools, thus increasing safety risks.

Perhaps the most significant change for the local school district this year, which could be a great help in continuation of school instruction without the necessity of extending the school year for a long period of time is the ‘non-traditional’ school days, in which the Clinton County School District was approved for this year, and will take effect locally on January 1.

The Kentucky General Assembly approved the legislation allowing districts to use nontraditional methods, primarily internet based instruction, as class days. Under the program, students can continue getting classroom work completed via the internet and those without access to home computers can receive classroom material packets to complete even on days when regular school is cancelled.

The state allows a district to use up to 10 days, if necessary, as make-up days using the non-traditional method.

York feels this new program may be very beneficial and could definitely help keep students from having to attend school much longer past the original closing date. She noted that, depending on the weather, illness, etc., the district may not have to use any of the days, but the built-in home instruction days would be of great benefit, especially in situations such as the past school year when several days of school were missed due to adverse weather.

York said she had talked to several different school officials from area districts that had the program in place last year and all of them loved it, saying that even though students couldn’t be in the classroom, they still felt they got a valid, meaningful learning experience.