MARION COUNTY, Fla. — In a meeting held Thursday night at Wyomina Park Elementary School, school officials in Marion County discussed with dozens of parents the possibility of migrating to a year-round academic calendar that would shorten summers and extend breaks throughout the year. 

What You Need To Know

  • School officials in Marion County discussed with dozens of parents the possibility of migrating to a year-round academic calendar

  • A “year-round” academic calendar would start in mid-July rather than August 

  • The pilot program would not change the number of days children are legally required to attend school 

“We are focused on growing our students and making sure they are reaching their full potential, and we feel that this could be an opportunity to continue to grow our students academically,” said Victoria Hunt, principal of Wyomina Park Elementary School. 

The school is one of three schools in the state of Florida to participate in the program. 

The move comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law the bipartisan HB 891 Year-round School Pilot Program bill that enables “the Department of Education (DOE) to assist school districts in establishing a year-round school program within at least one elementary school in the district to study issues, benefits, and scheduling options,” state lawmakers wrote in the law. 

The pilot program would affect nearly 600 students at Wyomina Park Elementary School, but would not change the number of academic days children are legally required to attend nationwide. However, cchool could start in mid-July instead of August.

“If we participate in this pilot here at Wyomina Park, students will still attend 180 instructional days just like all the other elementary schools in Marion County,” Hunt said. 

Instead of having traditional three-month summer breaks, students would still be granted 12 weeks of vacation but would have their time off spread out throughout the year. According to the school’s principal, holidays that other public schools in the area observe will not be impacted. But students could potentially have slightly longer spring breaks. 

And though the newly proposed calendar system is widely supported by academic officials in Marion County, the pilot program has faced mix emotions among parents.

“If the school has frequent breaks in between, how will children who are on the autistic spectrum acclimate to so many frequent breaks within the school year?” asked Diana Garcia, parent of a special needs child at Wyomina Park. 

Garcia worries whether the program can be molded to fit the needs of her autistic child, who she says relies heavily on routines and may have a hard time adjusting to having a shorter summer.

Yet many parents who attended Thursday’s meeting believe the newly proposed academic calendar is a step in the right direction to ensuring their child does not fall behind after long summer breaks. 

“It is going to help the children learn more," said Amelia Mrsiz, whose children often struggle to keep up with their academic growth over the summer. “Especially with the reading, math, and writing. I feel like they need it a little more.” 

The school is currently promoting outreach to parents to learn more about parents’ concerns and any feedback they may have before submitting a final academic calendar to Marion County’s school board, Hunt said. 

It is unclear when a final calendar will be submitted for Marion County’s school board approval.