The Demopolis City Schools Board of Education voted Monday to approve the calendar for the 2011-2012 academic year.

The schedule is tentatively set to open with teacher development days Aug. 4, 5 and 8.

The calendar is based on the 187-day schedule, a plan that may change pending legislative decisions.

“Right now the requirement is at 180 (classroom) days,” Demopolis City Schools Superintendent Dr. Al Griffin said.

“The legislature is in session, so it is possible that could be modified or reduced, but we do not know.”

Should the legislature vote to cut the allotted number of school days by five, students will begin classes Aug. 15.

The schedule is built around state-mandated testing dates.

The Alabama High School Graduation Exam will take place July 11-15, Sept. 19-23, Dec. 5-9 and March 19-23.

“We always have to adhere to the state’s testing schedule,” Griffin explained.

Under the board approved schedule, students will begin classes Aug. 9.

Students will be out of school to observe Labor Day Monday, Sept. 5.

Other off days during the fall semester will include Veteran’s Day Nov. 11 and a three-day Thanksgiving Holiday beginning Wednesday, Nov. 23 and running through Friday, Nov. 25.

That represents a cutback from the five days students had off for the holiday in 2010.

However, the cutback also allows the school system to log more classroom hours before the the Alabama Reading and Mathematic Test that is scheduled for April 9 through April 20.

Students will end the fall semester Thursday, Dec. 15 while teachers will have a professional development day Dec. 16.

DCS teachers will return to work Tuesday, Jan. 3 with students back in the classroom Jan. 4.

Schools will be closed for the customary Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday, Jan. 16.

If the weather cooperates, students and teachers are in line for a four-day weekend in February when they will be off Friday, Feb. 17 for a weather day and Monday, Feb. 20 for President’s Day.

Students will be out again Friday, March 9 as teachers have their sixth of seven professional development days.

Spring break will take place April 2 through April 6, a week earlier than in the 2010-2011 calendar.

“The calendar committee chose these two (calendar proposals),’ Griffin said. “The only intervention I did have was asking that they more our spring break back on week so we could be in line with the county schools and not interfere with the busing schedule.”

Students are slated to get their second weather day Friday, April 27. The last day of school for the students will be Saturday, May 24 with a teacher professional development day and graduation taking place on May 25.