Crete-Monee school officials are mulling a change in the district’s 2026-27 calendar that would designate MLK, Presidents Day, Casimir Pulaski Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day for use as either student attendance days or teacher institute days.
The Holiday Waiver would give the district the option of holding school or scheduling teachers institutes, parent-teacher conferences, or staff development on those five days.
However, it would be required that the person or persons honored in those holidays would be recognized through instructional activities conducted on that day, or if the day is not used for student attendance, then on the first school day preceding or following the holiday.
The waiver would mean the district would not have to tack on an additional day in June, at the end of the school year, to make up for an emergency closing day.
It was recommended by the district’s Calendar Committee to provide flexibility in the event of severe weather or an emergency closure when e-learning cannot be used. The calendar committee worked “in collaboration with teachers, administrators, support staff, and district leadership.”
According to Dr. Kara Coglianese, Superintendent of C-M schools, “This is especially important because pre-kindergarten through elementary students in the 2026–27 school year will take home Chromebooks only during inclement weather.
“The five designated holidays on the calendar are not counted as extra school days and do not shorten the school year,” she noted.
“They remain non-attendance days unless an emergency closure occurs. If a closure occurs and e-learning is unavailable, the waiver allows the district the flexibility to use one of the pre-identified days instead of extending the school year into late June, as long as we honor the individual if we are in session.”
The proposal was explained in depth in a public hearing during the board’s January 13 Committee of the Whole meeting.
School officials said that the purpose of the public hearing was only “to provide clarity, purpose and discussion.”
No board action was planned, and none was taken.
Crete-Monee is not the first district to consider the Holiday Waiver. School officials said that “other districts around us have this waiver in place.”
During public comments, residents said they were opposed to the waiver for several reasons, including the loss of a day when working parents can schedule medical appointments for their children, teachers can enjoy an extra day to relax and refuel, and families can continue to celebrate the special cultural aspects of the holidays.
Initially, the school board was expected to take action at its January 20 meeting, with multiple options, including approving, delaying or removing the waiver, and gathering additional public input.
But the board opted to send the proposal back to committee to “reconvene, then come back to the board with another public hearing date.”