Why Back 2 School In ND Should Be After Labor Day

Why Cut Summer Short?

Should school in North Dakota continue to start at the end of August, or should we begin after Labor Day? Labor Day is always the first Monday closest to September 1st (Falling somewhere between September 1st and September 7th).

I no longer have a dog in the fight; my son just graduated from college, but it has never made sense to me why we send kids back to school so early. Some of the best weather of the year is mid-August to mid-September. It seems like it's only getting warmer, and with some schools, especially in small towns without air conditioning, why are we forcing kids back into classrooms with 90-degree temperatures?

(SEE ALSO: ND's Best Public Schools)

I know this topic has been debated furiously over the years. Parents against the idea argue they don't want their kids having to go to school into June. I totally agree with that, but I still say we can find a way to get kids out of school before Memorial Day (end of May) and after Labor Day. How? I can tell you firsthand there are a lot of filler days every school year. Some of the days at school that my son described to me involved watching movies and other suspect learning activities. I'm just saying, maybe we could condense the syllabus to make a shorter school year.

They Tried to Pass a Law

You might remember back in 2014 they tried to pass a law in the legislature known as Measure 8 mandating all public schools in North Dakota to start school after Labor Day. Proponents were arguing the same thing I am right now. We are taking away from family time and vacations, and some of the best weather of the year. The measure was defeated.

Local School Districts are in Control

School districts in the state do have the option to start school after Labor Day, but the vast majority begin in mid-to-late August. I did some research to see if I could find any school districts in the area that begin after Labor Day, but I had no luck.

There aren't many things that I feel Minnesota does better than North Dakota, except starting school after Labor Day. I think it's time to open up the discussion again.