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Osceola County School District
The Osceola County School Board approved to delay the start of the 2020-21 school year by two weeks from Monday, Aug. 10, to Monday, Aug. 24 due to COVID-19 concerns.
The new academic calendar can be found at www.osceolaschools.net.
“This decision was made as a result of the continued collaboration and guidance that we have received from the local Department of Health and local and state officials, along with our efforts to monitor and analyze the COVID-19 data in our community and to listen to feedback from our families and community members,” said Superintendent Debra Pace. “This new calendar will allow us to continue to monitor the data and work towards improvements in both the number of COVID-19 cases and the test positivity rate in Osceola County to ensure a safe and healthy school opening.”
Teachers, VPK paraprofessionals and leads, IEP assistants, lab assistants, child development assistants, and pre-K ESE staff members will return to work on Aug. 10. They will have 10 days of pre-planning, to include a day dedicated to new safety protocols and a day dedicated to the instructional continuity plan, with the first scheduled instructional pay run remaining on Aug. 19.
Bus drivers, another key employee group, will return to work on Aug. 10, and have four days of practice runs and a day dedicated to the new safety protocols. Bus drivers will receive their first paycheck on Aug. 14, as scheduled, have the week of Aug. 17 off, and then return for the start of school on Monday, Aug. 24.
Paraprofessionals, school nurses and nine-month office aides will return to work on Aug. 17, and receive their first paycheck on Aug. 21, just two days beyond their current scheduled payday.
There will be no teacher workdays during the school year, with these days being moved to pre-planning; however, Thanksgiving break, winter break and spring break will remain as scheduled, barring a school closure situation caused by a hurricane or other natural disaster.
The last four days of the school year, June 1-4, will be designated for make-up days or instructional professional development days.
For parents depending on childcare Aug. 10-21, the district will offer a special two-week extended learning summer camp at elementary schools.
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