School Day Extended By 20 Minutes
DeSoto Independent School District students will return to school for the 2020-2021 academic year on Tuesday, September 8, 2020. The decision was approved by the DeSoto ISD Board of Trustees at the July 27, 2020 board meeting.
Originally scheduled to return to classes on August 17, DeSoto ISD joins other Best Southwest school districts in delaying the start of school until after the Labor Day holiday.
In addition to approving a delayed start date, the DISD Board of Trustees approved a revised academic calendar. The new calendar exceeds the 75,600 instructional minutes required by the Texas Education Agency and extends the school day by 20 minutes.
The 2020-2021 DeSoto ISD school hours are:
- High School: 7:30 – 3:20
- Elementary School: 8:00 – 3:50
- Middle School: 8:30 – 4:10
Due to the cancelation of the State Fair of Texas, the originally planned October 12 holiday will be observed as a standard district holiday. While DeSoto ISD will not be distributing fair tickets, all district campuses and offices will continue to be closed. All previously scheduled breaks and holidays will remain the same with the addition of Election Day on November 3. Half days that were previously adopted in the 20-21 calendar have been converted to full instructional days.
The start date for DeSoto ISD teachers will remain on August 6, 2020. This gives staff over 20 days of professional development opportunities and preparation before the first day of school.
“Given the transition of the work, we know teachers need time to prepare for the school year,” said Chief of Research, Evaluation & Design Ben Mackey. “This calendar provides over three full weeks of preparation time for our teachers to get organized and understand all the systems.”
Parent-Teacher conferences are scheduled once a semester on November 6 and February 5. If the district remains virtual during this time, conferences will be staggered throughout the day. If in-person classes are being held, these conferences will be held after school.
The last day of school remains as previously scheduled on May 28, 2020. If necessary, April 2 & June 1 will be used as Inclement Weather Makeup days.
“We consulted with members of the superintendent’s advisory councils as well as principals and teachers within our system which option they preferred,” said Mackey. “Each group suggested this would be the best route for the 2020-2021 school year.”
For more information on DeSoto ISD’s Return-to-School for the 2020-21 school year, visit DeSotoISD.org/Reconnect.
