Schedule updates tied to safety and state requirements
Liberty Hill Independent School District officials have announced changes to the 2025–26 academic calendar following recent winter weather closures and the denial of a professional development minute waiver by the Texas Education Agency. The adjustments will require students to attend school on additional Fridays later this spring.
District leaders said the changes balance two priorities: keeping students and staff safe during hazardous road conditions and meeting state requirements for instructional and operational minutes tied to school funding.
Make-up days added after winter weather
LHISD canceled school on Monday, Jan. 26, due to freezing temperatures and icy roads across the region. District officials said the closure was necessary to avoid unsafe travel conditions. That missed instructional day will now be made up on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.
If school is also canceled on Tuesday, Jan. 27, that day would be made up on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. District officials noted that any additional weather-related closures later in the year would also need to be made up to stay in compliance with state requirements.
Waiver denial creates additional calendar pressure
Beyond the weather-related changes, the district is also addressing a broader calendar issue involving operational minutes. Under state law, school districts must provide at least 75,600 operational minutes each academic year to receive full funding.
LHISD’s approved calendar assumed approval of a 2,100-minute professional development waiver, which the district has received in past years. This year, however, the waiver was denied because LHISD operates on an innovative calendar that includes a mix of four-day and five-day student weeks.
Recent updates to the state’s School Accounting and Attendance Handbook indicate that professional development minute waivers will not be approved for districts operating on a four-day school week. While the state does not formally define a four-day week, TEA determined that LHISD’s calendar did not qualify for the waiver.
District officials said they submitted documentation explaining the calendar structure, but the waiver was still denied, requiring the district to make up the lost minutes.
The calendar changes reflect how closely school schedules are now tied to both safety decisions and evolving state funding rules.
Thanks lhindependent.com for the scoop.
