GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Green Bay and Ashwaubenon schools may start the 2024-2025 academic year before Sept. 1 so it can cancel classes during the NFL Draft.
State law requires schools to start after Sept. 1, but can ask the state for waivers. The Green Bay School Board will discuss the issue Monday night.
“An estimated 300,000 people will be attending the event, creating traffic congestion and safety concerns for our students and staff. In collaboration with our neighboring district in Ashwaubenon, and with support from the District Calendar Committee, District administration would like to submit a waiver request to DPI to allow the Green Bay Area Public School District to begin the school year with students during the last week of August 2024. In turn, the District would be closed from Wednesday, April 24 – Friday, April 26, 2025,” states a memo for tonight’s agenda.
The full resolution describes the draft as a “force of nature” outside the district’s control.
Among the reasons cited in the draft of the resolution:
- WHEREAS, in cities in which the NFL draft has been held, substantial disruptions to various logistics have occurred, including short term housing and lodging, public transportation, road closures, increased traffic and restricted and limited parking; and
- WHEREAS the NFL draft will result in local law enforcement reallocating human resources to the law enforcement needs of the NFL draft causing law enforcement resources not to be available to public school districts for the day-to-day safety and security operations of the district including but not limited to the support of school resource officers; and
- WHEREAS, in cities that hold large spectator events, such events can attract criminal activity and increase crimes against the vulnerable, including an increase in human trafficking and out-of-town traffickers bringing people into a city, excessive alcohol use and sale and use of illegal drugs
- WHEREAS, should the Green Bay Area Public School District determine based on safety and security needs to cancel in-person learning during the dates of the NFL draft, doing so would unreasonably extend the instructional calendar into the later part of June when students historically have been released for summer recess and attendance rates are at the lowest;
- WHEREAS, to avoid an unreasonably late ending of the school year, the Board of Education has determined that to optimize learning for students, that the 2024-2025 school year shall commence prior to September 1, 2024, in order to accommodate the additional days of no instruction due to the forces of nature of the 2025 NFL draft event outsider of the control of the Board of Education that could not be avoidable by exercise of due care
The Green Bay School Board meets at 5 p.m. Monday.
