November 08, 2017 - 4:21 AM
TOWSON, Md. - Faced with new scheduling constraints, Baltimore County school officials have decided to keep schools closed next year on the Jewish High Holy Days.
News outlets report that the county school board voted 9-3 Tuesday in favour of an academic calendar in which schools will be closed on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
School systems across Maryland have been adjusting their calendars since Gov. Larry Hogan put in place new requirements that schools begin after Labor Day and end by June 15 in order to boost state tourism.
The county's school board had considered opening the schools on the Jewish holidays for the first time in about two decades.
Board member David Uhlfelder argued that the system would have had to hire too many substitute teachers to fill in for Jewish teachers.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017