For the second year in a row, a majority of Humble ISD residents showed support for an academic calendar featuring extra holidays in the 2020-21 year. Trustees unanimously approved the 2020-21 calendar at the Jan. 14 board of trustees meeting, which features an early start date and two weeklong breaks in October and February.
“I know that every year the calendar is always a hot item of debate and discussion,” trustee Lori Twomey said. “This year [2019-20], we tried out the weeklong breaks, and I have received overwhelming positive feedback in my discussions—which were very much in line with the calendar survey that we did.”
Twomey also thanked the administration for moving the October break to the end of the month and term, which she said will keep students from coming back from break to multiple tests.
According to the board agenda packet, the district requested input on the calendar from Nov. 20 to Dec. 8, garnering 14,634 responses from the parents and staff members. Instead of giving the them two or three calendar drafts to choose from, district officials asked participants to select their preferred first day of school as well as whether they wanted a weeklong break in October and/or in February, a shorter break in October and/or in February, or no break in October and/or in February.
