Students will be coming back to school a little later following an approved change to the 2020-2021 calendar by the Fayette County Board of Education.

During the June 15 board meeting, the board voted in favor of students returning to school on Aug. 10, rather than the originally planned start date of Aug. 3.

The later start will give teachers additional planning days to prepare for the school year.

All other dates on the 2020-2021 calendar will remain the same. Students will get 86 instructional days for the first semester and 89 instructional days for the second semester, for a total of 175 instructional days for the year. Under the school system’s waiver agreement with the Georgia Department of Education, the number of instruction days can be adjusted.

The school system is currently working on a re-entry plan for the new school year. Parents will receive the re-entry plan the week of June 22 along with a survey asking them to indicate if their child will receive face-to-face instruction at school or full-time virtual learning at home. This information will be emailed, so parents are encouraged to check their email account regularly for updates.