Photo by Ivan Bertolazzi on Pexels.com 
Photo by Gabby K on Pexels.com
I was talking to my husband recently, and he said the thing most children would totally dread: School should be all year. OMG!! Are you kidding me? Even me, the most obsessive and tyrannical parent ever was totally displaced by his statement. Furthermore, I am an education lawyer. I argue with school districts daily on behalf of my clients. Even I thought 12-month school for typical general education students is a radical thought that should not happen.
After pondering this more however, he may be right (sorry dear daughter). Even outside of COVID, American children have lagged in nearly every subject in comparison to peers in other countries. Sending children K-12 to school year-round would not only catch them up academically, it would also give parents a more stable, less expensive childcare option. However, there is much to be said for the option of summer camp, vacations, and summer days filled with nothing scheduled. As a parent of older children, I would have welcomed a steadier option of school between July-September, but I loved their joy while home on a summer afternoon.
Further thought provided me with a more moderate option, something the NYC Chancellor of Education has recently hinted as a plan for the NYC Department of Education: Allow parents to choose whether to send their children to school during the summer even if they are not academically at risk. My daughter was blessed to have synchronous learning from April 2020 – present, even when she was remote. Now I am certain she missed some key learning objectives during this time. I mean, she has been isolated from her friends for a year which impacts her psyche, and in turn her overall development. I would not however send her to school year round, because I believe in mental breaks. She takes pure joy in those days when she has no activities, no school, and nothing schedule. She can literally do nothing for a day or two. We all need those breaks.
So here is my suggestion: School for 9 months with breaks. Close end of June like normal (or end of May in the South), then re-open July 15 – August 15 (or June 1-July 1 for the South), and allow parents to decide. This still gives children breaks in early July and end of August (or end of May and July in the South). Families can still vacation. Children can still attend sleep away camp. Teachers can make extra money, or opt out of summer teaching altogether. Bottom line is there may be a demand for more school in the summer, but it should not a requirement.
Mom. Wife. Lawyer. 