Fort Worth classes are canceled all week. Will that lengthen the school year?
School closures in Fort Worth this week won’t add much time, if any, to the end of the school year.
Fort Worth schools will remain closed through the end of the week, the district announced Wednesday. But school officials say the district may not need to make up any days from week-long closure.
Texas Education Agency officials will allow school districts that shut down both in-person and online classes due to power outages to apply for waivers forgiving those cancellations.
Students in the Fort Worth school district have been out of the classroom for nearly a week. On Feb. 10, the district closed school buildings and canceled in-person classes. But the district held online classes that day, meaning it isn’t required to make up the day later. The following day, the district held in-person classes.
On Monday, the district was closed for Presidents Day. Schools have remained closed with no remote learning since then, as snow, frigid temperatures and widespread power outages affected the area. Wednesday afternoon, the district announced schools would remain closed and remote learning would be canceled Friday.
State education officials initially told superintendents across the state they could apply for waivers covering up to three days of school cancellations. On Wednesday, the agency revised that guidance, telling superintendents they could apply for waivers covering cancellations Friday, as well.
The district’s school year was already scheduled to end several weeks later than usual due to the effects of COVID-19. Last summer, the district’s Board of Trustees approved an updated school calendar that pushed the first day of remote learning back to Sept. 8. The following month, the district brought students back to school in phases. The first semester, which typically ends in December, wrapped up at the end of January.
This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 2:56 PM.
