Several districts in Massachusetts went back to school this week, but not all of them. That's because there's no universal start date for all schools.

In Massachusetts, the Department of Education regulates how many school days there must be in the year, but they leave the starting date up to the individual districts. Towns like Andover start on August 27.

"The way that the collective bargaining agreement is structured is that we cannot start any earlier than the Monday before Labor Day," said Shauna Murray, School Committee Chair for Andover Schools. "We have been pretty consistent that teachers will come back Monday or Tuesday for professional development, and traditionally we have started on the Wednesday and Thursday."

Weather is a factor

Murray said every year they must choose

See Full Page