Broward County Public Schools students will have to cut their winter break short by one day due to schedule changes stemming from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The school district announced on Tuesday that it has revised its 2024-2025 academic calendar to make up for the three lost instructional days.
Students will now return to school on January 6, 2025, a day earlier than planned, as the previously scheduled teacher workday will be turned into a regular school day. The first semester, originally set to end before winter break, will now conclude on January 9, 2025. To compensate, the teacher workday has been moved to Friday, January 10, giving students that day off.
Despite these adjustments, midterm and final exams will not be affected, as they are set to be completed before winter break. The changes ensure that the district meets the state’s instructional hour requirements, which mandate 720 hours for students in kindergarten through third grade and 900 hours for grades four through 12.
In addition to the January modifications, the school board designated November 25-26, 2024, and March 31, 2025, as severe weather makeup days, ensuring future flexibility in case of more disruptions. Miami-Dade County schools, however, do not need to make any adjustments as they already have enough instructional hours built into their schedule.
These changes were approved during a special school board meeting, as Broward works to recover lost time while minimizing disruptions to the academic year.
