Clearer Picture of Dallas ISD's School Year Emerges

Dallas ISD's plan for what the coming school year will look like is becoming clearer.

Monday, the district released details of a proposed calendar for the upcoming school year. The updated calendar moves the first day of school to the Tuesday after Labor Day, moves the end of the school year back and eliminates a handful of holidays.

The proposed calendar, scheduled to go before the Dallas ISD board at a meeting Thursday, would move the last day of school from May 17 to June 18. The proposal also cancels two scheduled State Fair of Texas holidays in October, since the fair has been canceled, and adds a holiday on Nov. 3 for Election Day.

The updated calendar complies with an order from Dallas County Health and Human Services that barred districts in the county from returning to school in person until Sept. 8. That order came after Texas Education Agency officials confirmed that districts would be able to keep their doors closed without risking state education funding, so long as a county order was in effect requiring them to do so.

In a news conference Thursday afternoon, Dr. Philip Huang, director of the county health department, said the county order could be extended beyond Sept. 8.

What's unclear is whether the district will hold classes through distance learning between Aug. 17, which was its original start date, and Sept. 8. Robyn Harris, a spokeswoman for the district, said officials expect that decision to be made at Thursday's meeting.