(WKYT) – In today’s Good Question, Debbie asks: “I saw a graphic on the news today showing school opening times in certain counties in August. Why don’t school holidays in the state of Kentucky start and end on the same day in all 120 counties?”

There are 120 counties, but the Department of Education says there are 171 different public school districts in Kentucky

Although the Department of Education must approve school calendars, state law allows each district to set its own start dates.

“The local school board shall adopt a school calendar no later than May 15 of each year.”

They must submit this calendar to the department for approval by June 30, otherwise they will not receive public funding from the state.

There are guidelines that must be followed.

If they complete what is known as a traditional academic year, that means “a minimum of one thousand sixty-two (1,062) hours of student instruction delivered over no fewer than one hundred seventy (170) days of attendance.”

School operations may last longer than 170 days, but the sum of shortened teaching days and regular teaching days must be at least 170 days.

In addition, a school day may not be longer than 420 minutes.

Districts could also follow a variable school year for students, giving them a little more flexibility regarding these days.

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