Lewisville ISD officials say no discussions yet about potential modified 2020-21 academic calendar

Lewisville ISD officials said there have not yet been discussions about whether to adjust the 2020-21 academic calendar based on recently released guidelines from the Texas Education Agency.

TEA recommended a modified calendar for the upcoming school year May 7. The guidelines are meant to provide a safety net for possible COVID-19 disruptions and time to intervene for students who have fallen behind due to remote learning.

The recommended calendar includes an earlier start date, longer breaks to provide flexibility and built-in remote learning time. The TEA also suggested districts consider additional summer learning periods.

“There are certainly pros and cons to any school calendar, whether a district maintains the traditional schedule, implements a year-round calendar or some other model,” Lewisville ISD Superintendent Kevin Rogers told Community Impact Newspaper in a May 15 statement. “At this point, LISD is focused on closing out the 2019-20 school year amid the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and there have been no discussions about changing the calendar.”

Rogers said though it is impossible to speculate about the short- and long-term impacts the pandemic may have on public schools, the district is researching and preparing for multiple scenarios.

“Any significant change to our school calendar requires considerable study with ample student, family, staff and community input,” Rogers said. “We will continue to determine how to best serve our stakeholders while seeking guidance from medical experts and our local and state leaders on next steps.”