Texas school districts could adopt year-round calendar in wake of COVID-19

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has proposed a year-round school schedule as an option to offset potential closures due to further waves of COVID-19 outbreaks. 

While Texas schools have been teaching students through distance learning since March and will continue to do so for the rest of the school year, it's still unknown how the state will move forward with school in the fall.

Reform Austin said the agency has offered the option of a year-round calendar to allow schools to better respond to coronavirus-related disruptions and address learning gaps from this past school year. Under the proposed calendar, the 2020-2021 school year would consist of 11 months with a begin date prior to the fourth Monday of August.

“TEA has spoken with numerous educators about the need to adapt our school systems to this new environment,” a TEA representative wrote in an email to Reform Austin.

To prepare for the possibility of continued distance learning, TEA has teamed up with Gov. Greg Abbott and the Dallas Independent School District on a statewide initiative called Operation Connectivity. 

“With students learning remotely for the time being, it’s more important than ever for all our students to be able to access academic content at home,” TEA Commissioner Mike Morath told Reform Austin. “In order for that to happen, all students in Texas need access to computers and/or tablets and internet outside of the classroom. Operation Connectivity is providing the right solutions to this big challenge.”

Texas recently experienced a surge in coronavirus cases since it started to reopen earlier this month. The Hill reports the state saw more than 1,000 new cases for five days in a row.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, there have been more than 43,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the state and more than 1,200 deaths related to the virus.