14 Feb 2002
Students to Return to School August 26, 2002
DALLAS–Students in the Dallas Independent School District will have a three-month summer vacation before returning to school under the 2002-03 calendar recently adopted by the Board of Trustees.
With 175 instructional days, students start school August 26, 2002, and their last day is June 5, 2003. The district's start date complies with the law passed by the state last year that states Texas schools can begin no earlier than the week in which August 21 falls.
"The district understands the benefits of adopting a calendar for the upcoming year early," said Mike Moses, general superintendent. "Now that the 2002-03 calendar has been adopted by the trustees, parents can begin making summer plans for their children. Plus, the calendar is helpful for those teachers who take classes and attend conferences during the summer months."
The calendar incorporates the traditional holidays and breaks taken by the district. Those include:
• Labor Day, September 2
• Fair Days, October 11 & 18
• Thanksgiving Break, November 27-29
• Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, January 20
• Presidents' Day, February 17
• Spring Break, March 17-21
• Memorial Day, May 26
To assist in the preparation of the 2002-03 calendar, the administration formed two committees, the Calendar Screening Committee and Calendar Steering committee. The Calendar Screening Committee included representatives from central administration departments. The Calendar Steering Committee was composed of representatives from the PTA, teachers, students, the districtwide committee and community network. Before the central administration made the recommendation for the calendar, comments were received from PTA presidents, site-based decision making chairs, several district advisory committees, area superintendents and teacher organizations.