Northern Virginia parents should wait to book their summer vacations as school officials in Fairfax County, Arlington and Alexandria consider bumping up students’ start dates to before Labor Day. State law forbids local school systems from opening before the federal holiday, but both Fairfax and Alexandria officials are polling their communities to decide whether to pursue a waiver from the state.

In a survey sent out to Fairfax parents, Superintendent Jack Dale said moving the school calendar up a week would create scheduling flexibility against snow days and allow more instructional time before state exams. The schedule, which would let students out earlier in June, also would align more closely with local universities, creating better access for students who take college courses in high school.