Is the Start of School 2024 Delayed Until October? What’s Happening?

Could the First Day of School 2024 Be Delayed to October?

The question of whether the first day of school for 2024 might be postponed to October has been on the minds of many Italian families as the back-to-school season approaches in September.

Recently, as September looms and students prepare to return to school per the regional academic calendars, discussions have intensified regarding the potential delay of the school year.

Experts, teacher associations, and unions argue that the anticipated heat in September, combined with the inadequacies of school facilities, could severely impact the smooth commencement of the 2024/2025 academic year.

Although parents have been advocating for a revision of the school calendar—especially to shorten summer vacations—there is significant opposition to the idea of delaying the start of the school year.

The Proposal for a Delayed Start

The proposal to delay the start date to October has been put forth by the Anief (National Association of Teachers and Educators).
President Marcello Pacifico suggests moving the start date to October 1st, referencing a historical precedent where school began on this date up until fifty years ago.

In his statement, Pacifico highlights the rise in average seasonal temperatures, urging a reconsideration of the current start date of September 12th.
He states:

“From 1963 to 1977, students returned to class on October 1st.
With an average seasonal temperature increase of +4 degrees, why do we still start school on September 12th? We should restore the three hours of school time that were cut in 2015.”

Backing Anief’s proposition, the National Coordination of Teachers of Human Rights (Cnddu) has appealed to various health authorities to address this pressing issue.
They argue that the health and wellbeing of students are at stake due to inadequate physical learning environments during the high heat.

However, sources from the Ministry of Education appear to have quickly dismissed this proposition, implying that the school year will still commence in September as planned, offering little consolation to parents whose concerns over extended summer breaks continue to rise.

First Day of School 2024: Official Dates by Region

As stated, the various regional academic calendars confirm that students will not all return to school on the same day.
Here are the official return dates for 2024 across different regions:

• September 5: Students from the Autonomous Province of Bolzano and children from preschools in Lombardy.
• September 9: Students in the Autonomous Province of Trento.
• September 11: Students from Friuli Venezia Giulia, Marche, Piedmont, Umbria, Aosta Valley, and Veneto.
• September 12: Students from Campania, Lombardy, Molise, and Sardinia.
• September 16: The last to return are students from Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Liguria, Puglia, and Tuscany.

As discussions continue and preparations are made, it remains clear that differing regional dates mark the beginning of another academic year.