The Abbotsford board of education has approved a two-week spring break for 2013.
Next year’s holiday will take place on the weeks of March 18 and 25. The first week coincides with the one-week break set by the Ministry of Education. The second week runs into the Good Friday and Easter Monday statutory holidays.
Boards of education have been required to hold a public consultation whenever they plan to deviate from the one-week holiday set by the ministry. In Abbotsford, the board received 13 submissions in response to the planned holiday, and nine were in favour of the two-week break for next year.
The ministry has passed legislation that now permits districts to set their own calendars, starting with the 2013-14 school year. This opens the possibility for districts to consider year-round schooling.
A public consultation process will still be required.
Abbotsford has had a two-week spring break for several years, and trustees faced huge public backlash in 2006 and 2010 when they tried to return to a one-week holiday. Last year, they also faced opposition when they attempted to move the dates of the vacation.
