The TEA released guidelines May 7 for school districts statewide to take into consideration when finalizing their 2020-21 instructional calendars. While each school district has final authority over its own instructional calendar, the guidelines are meant to help minimize anticipated disruptions due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Some of these recommendations include the use of an intersessional calendar, featuring longer breaks dispersed throughout the year to provide flexibility; an instructional calendar with an additional summer learning period; or a complete school year redesign. To view SISD's current 2020-21 instructional calendar, click here.
While district officials have not yet said if or how the 2020-21 instructional calendar will change, SISD Chief of Communications Tiffany Dunne-Oldfield said the district is deliberating the options at hand.
"Spring ISD has closely reviewed the Texas Education Agency (TEA) guidelines for adjustment to the 2020-21 school year calendars in light of COVID-19 and is discussing several options for updating our planned calendar in response to the recommendations set forth by the TEA," said Dunne-Oldfield in an email May 15. "Naturally, if the district decides to move forward and recommend adjustments to our planned 2020-21 calendar based on these recently released guidelines, recommended changes will include teacher and parent input before being presented to our board of trustees for review and approval."
On the agenda for the May 28 special-called meeting is an item titled "Fall 2020-2021 Update." The item reads: "The Board will receive information and deliberate on matters relating to the 2020-2021 School Year, including the instructional program and possible modifications to the instructional calendar due to COVID-19."
The board is also expected to receive information and discuss the 2020 summer school session at the meeting.
To tune into the special-called meeting May 28, links to access the meeting will be made available at least 30 minutes prior to the meeting start time, which is 6 p.m., here.
