The Spring ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a calendar that includes 20 additional break days for the 2020-21 school year.
The revised calendar for the upcoming school year includes extended breaks throughout the year, recommended by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), in preparation for possible interruptions caused by the coronavirus.
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“This proposed calendar will give us flexibility to deal with whatever scenarios we may have to face,” Superintendent Dr. Rodney E. Watson said. “Based on what the TEA is telling us, the upcoming school year could potentially be disrupted, and this calendar would give us a way to maximize instruction, even if we’re forced into another COVID-related closure.”
The district’s revised calendar most closely matches the intersessional calendar, one of three options issued by the TEA.
The intersessional calendar plans for students to start school on Aug. 17, and includes additional breaks occurring the week before or after regularly scheduled vacation times.
The last day of school is scheduled for June 25 for all students except seniors, who would complete instruction on May 28.
“We feel this calendar will help us ensure we’ll be able to meet the instructional needs of all students, whether they need extra help, enrichment or acceleration,” Watson said. “We will also have the flexibility to adjust this calendar as needed because of the embedded breaks as well as the longer instructional year.”
Intersession/Senior Remote Learning breaks are scheduled for the weeks of Oct. 5 - 9, Nov. 16-20, Jan. 4-8, and March 8-12.
During these breaks, seniors will participate in remote learning from home in order to graduate in May.
If needed, students in prekindergarten through 11th grade can also engage in remote learning in order to stay on track with grade-level requirements or take part in enrichment activities.
However, the superintendent emphasized not all students would need to take part in the extra learning opportunities, and families can treat intersessions as additional vacation time.
The district is also discussing a plan to continue remote learning for students whose parents who don’t feel comfortable sending them back to school.
“We will soon send out a survey to collect information from our families as we consider different models for students and staff,” Watson said. “Spring ISD has a strong commitment to offering opportunity and choice to our students and families. Our plan to offer an entirely remote instructional option for families who prefer to keep their children at home during the upcoming year aligns to this commitment.”
Click here to view the 2020-21 academic calendar for Spring ISD.