Collier schools calendar revised after Irma, set for vote; vacations might shrink

Collier County School Board members will vote Tuesday on whether to accept an academic calendar that has been revised to make up for closures due to Hurricane Irma.

If approved, five full days that were to be normal student vacation days would be transformed into regular academic days. Those five days would be Presidents Day, the first full days of winter and spring breaks, a professional development day for teachers and a planning day for teachers. The planning day for teachers would be moved to Good Friday, which students already had off.

The proposed calendar would extend two early dismissal days leading to winter break, as well as four “end of quarter days” that typically also are early dismissal days. 

The school district's only hurricane day, Nov. 10, already had been set aside to make up for the flood day in August.

The district plans to ask the Florida Department of Education to waive some of the missed days.

The changes to the academic calendar would be:

Oct. 16: now set as a planning day for teachers; proposed to become a full academic day for students.

Oct. 17: now set as a professional learning day for teachers; proposed to become a full academic day for students.

Oct. 26: now set as an early dismissal day for the end of the quarter; proposed to become a full academic day for students.

Nov. 10: hurricane makeup day.

Dec. 20, 21: now set as early dismissal days; proposed to become full academic days for students.

Dec. 22: now set as the first day of winter break – no school; proposed to become a full academic day for students.

Jan. 12: now set as an early dismissal day for the end of the quarter; proposed to become a full academic day for students.

Feb. 19: Presidents Day — no school; proposed to become a full academic day for students.

March 8: now set as an early dismissal day for the end of the quarter; proposed to become a full academic day for students.

March 9: first day of spring break — no school; proposed to become a full academic day for students.

March 29: now a full academic day for students; proposed to become an early dismissal day for the end of the quarter; moved from March 8.

March 30: Good Friday – no school; proposed to become a planning day for teachers.

May 31: now set as an early dismissal day for the end of the quarter; proposed to become a full academic day for students.