photo by: Journal-World

Lawrence Public Schools district offices pictured in April 2021.

After taking a full week off during the week of Thanksgiving this school year, the Lawrence school district may keep the weeklong break next school year as well.

The school board on Monday will consider adopting a district calendar for the 2022-23 school year featuring a full week off for Thanksgiving.

That would be a change from the district’s traditional calendar, which included two school days on Monday and Tuesday of that week, before taking the three remaining days off for the holiday. But the district chose to take the full week off earlier this school year as a way to provide time for teachers’ and students’ wellness and self-care amid difficulties stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Journal-World reported.

The district’s calendar committee recommended keeping it after receiving “positive feedback from staff,” district administration said in a memo to the board.

The proposed calendar also includes a new observed holiday for full-year staff. Starting in 2023, full-year staff would receive an additional paid holiday for Juneteenth, which is observed on June 19. Juneteenth is a holiday that celebrates the emancipation of enslaved people and the end of slavery in the United States.

Meanwhile, the district’s spring break would continue to match with the University of Kansas’ break, which is scheduled for March 13-17 in 2023.

A draft of the proposed calendar can be viewed in the meeting agenda on the district’s website, usd497.org.

The school board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the boardroom at the district offices, 110 McDonald Drive. The meeting is open to the public, but the district may limit attendance because of the pandemic.

Those who attend will be required to wear masks. The district also encourages the public to watch the meeting on Midco channel 26 or online at youtube.com/USD497.

Those who want to speak during public comment, either in person or online, must send an email to PublicComment@usd497.org before the meeting begins at 6 p.m. Additionally, anyone who wants to share comments with board members via email may send them to schoolboard@usd497.org.