Eagle Nation, 

During the 2019-2020 school year, all schools in the South Learning Community and Achievement Zone will have three Release Days. The Release Days will focus on Professional Learning Community refined practices, cluster-level themes, and local-school initiatives. The Release Days are October 10, February 14, and March 16. These days are in addition to the district’s professional development days and will be a day off for students. Achievement Zone schools will not have additional Release Days during the 2019-2020 school year. Therefore, the instructional day will not be extended an additional 30 minutes. All elementary schools will dismiss at 2:20 p.m. All middle schools will dismiss at 4:05 p.m. Note, that Banneker High School will maintain the end time of 4:00 p.m. due to their School Improvement Grant and the extended learning time requirements. Regarding Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and Release Days, IEPs will be implemented on regular school days when school is in session. IEP services will not be implemented during Release Days. Although we realize that adjusting the instructional calendar may raise concerns, the district is reducing the number of Release Days and streamlining the implementation throughout the learning community.