Richardson ISD says it is still weighing options for changes to the upcoming school year calendar

Officials in Richardson ISD say they are still unsure about whether they will adjust the school year 2020-21 calendar based on recently released guidelines from the Texas Education Agency.

TEA recommended a modified calendar for the upcoming school year on May 7. The guidelines are meant to provide a safety net for possible COVID-19 disruptions as well as 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.

RISD is still weighing its options and has not yet made any decisions, Executive Director of Communications Tim Clark said in response to an interview request from Community Impact Newspaper.

"Our leadership team is still actively discussing these topics and how things will work in RISD,” he said. “We’re simply not at a point where the questions can be answered yet.”

The district is preparing to help students who may have fallen behind during the shutdown, Superintendent Jeannie Stone told Community Impact Newspaper on May 5. One of its priorities for the upcoming year is identifying students who need intervention to catch up, she said.

“That intervention really means taking every student where they are and then seeing what they need,” Stone said. “Any lost ground, we will need to do everything [we can] to make up that ground through additional efforts and resources.”