First day of school is a Friday for Seminole, Brevard students

Students in Seminole County return to classes in two weeks, kicking off the new school year on Friday, Aug. 10.

That’s right, students will have one day of classes — and then a weekend.

Students in 19 Florida school districts — including those in Brevard County — also will begin the 2018-19 school year on that Friday, according to the Florida Department of Education. By state law, Aug. 10 is the earliest public schools can open.

In most of the state, however, public schools open on Monday, Aug. 13, which is the start date in Lake, Orange, Osceola and Volusia counties, among others.

In Seminole, the district’s calendar committee — which includes parents, teachers and administrators — “debated back and forth” whether to open on Friday, finally recommending the opening-daythen-a-weekend plan, Superintendent Walt Griffin said.

The thinking was a Friday return would give students a day to take care of the usual housekeeping items — from making schedules changes to learning classroom rules — and then be ready Monday for a full week of instruction.

Griffin said his granddaughter is starting kindergarten next month at a Seminole elementary school, and he thinks the Friday start will be a gentle introduction to school for her and other young students. He said it also will likely help high school staff, who when notified of student schedule issues Friday, will have the weekend to make needed fixes.

He hasn’t heard from any parents who don’t like it — but he conceded some might not yet realize that school starts on a Friday.

Seminole’s 2018-19 school calendar was approved by the Seminole County School Board more than a year ago and has been posted on the district’s website.