BREA

The Brea Olinda Unified School District has agreed to extend the school year by one day in order to make April 2 part of spring break. School officials said it is a coincidence that the day off happens to fall on Good Friday.

“It has nothing to do with Good Friday at all,” said school board President Kenneth Kegel. “Personally, if it had, I would have voted no because I do not make public school decisions based on religious decisions.”

The day before spring break has been a vacation day for several years because employees favored that Friday off, district officials said. The district used it as a teacher training and planning day. But under a new state law, those training days can’t be held during the regular school year, Kegel said.

District employees who are in nonteaching positions requested that the day continue to be a holiday because they had already made plans, Assistant Supt. Peter Boothroyd said. The district granted the request. This means students will now end school on June 17 instead of June 16. Brea Junior High and Brea Olinda High schools will hold graduation on June 17.