Imagine during one of the longest, most jam-packed academic times of the year, students could have seven days of relaxation to reset.
The Mount Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) recently decided to implement a one week break for students and staff during the week of October 7, 2024. They thoughtfully made this decision by sending out a survey to the community including parents and staff. They also worked with labor partners such as Mt. Diablo Education Association.
Other school districts including Pittsburg Unified and Antioch Unified are following Mt. Diablo Unified’s lead and will also be piloting this school year calendar.
In order to fulfill the required amount of school days, their official school year will be starting slightly earlier and ending slightly later. The first day of school will take place on August 8 and the last day of school will be two days later than AUHSD on June 3.
“MDUSD decided to pilot a fall break next year in an effort to address student and staff mental health,” said MDUSD School Board Trustee Erin McFerrin.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said sophomore Maddie Collins. “Sometimes having a break from school can help us refocus and increase engagement. In a month where there’s no breaks, it would be great to add one in there.”
McFerrin also shared, “As a high school teacher, I know that fall is a stressful time for students…Hopefully the fall break will give students and staff some room to breathe, so to speak. Not every family can align their schedules, but I also hope that, when possible, our families will be able to spend more time together over this time or have a chance to take a vacation when it’s not a peak season for travel.”
While a break in October could be beneficial it also poses difficulties for some families. “Some parents, especially of younger students, have expressed that they might face some challenges in arranging child care if and when they are unable to take the week off from work,” said McFerrin.
Campo teachers Erin Cody and Jennifer Frugaletti, who previously worked at the Freedom High School in the Liberty Union High School District in Oakley, California, experienced a “modified traditional schedule” that included an October break.
With the modified traditional schedule, school began in late July. Students and staff would have ten weeks of school followed by a two week break. Summer was six weeks long.
Frugaletti said, “I think the two worst months at Campo are October and March and that’s when everyone’s exhausted, you’ve been in school since mid August and we’re desperate for a break…It’s just nonstop and then you have a week off for Thanksgiving…then it’s basically finals and it’s kind of nuts.”
Frugaletti also said October “is a great time to travel and the weather is still really nice everywhere for the most part and most people are in school so it makes traveling less expensive…It’s nice to have more breaks.” However, she said “you’d have to rethink how we’re doing Thanksgiving; ‘are you doing a week in October, a week for Thanksgiving, and then two weeks for the winter holiday?’ That seems like an awful lot. I think you’d have to consider that.”
Similar to Frugaletti, junior Meeran Gill feels that the break being in October isn’t in the ideal spot. Gill said “I love breaks, but we do have quite a few breaks in the fall semester so maybe move it to the spring semester. Other schools have ski week in February, we could have that.”
When recalling her experience with the modified traditional school schedule from her previous district, Cody said, “the schedule was fantastic…I loved October break because it provided people with an opportunity to travel during a period where it’s not necessarily as busy. It gave you a break and mentally you knew you had ten weeks on and two weeks off and got used to that pattern.”
In terms of traveling, the schedule gave families multiple options. “You had an option in October, in December, in March and then you had six weeks [of summer] so there weren’t as many people getting pulled out to go on vacations. Parents could travel at different times. It’s amazing because then you’re not trying to jam all this family obligation and traveling into just Thanksgiving, Winter break or Spring break,” said Cody.
However, when considering this week off from school Cody said, “…if you’re studying for specific exams like AP exams or involved with athletics that can be difficult because it doesn’t matter if you’re on break or not you still have to participate, prepare for and do those things.”
When specifically talking about just an October break, observing how next school year goes for the Mount Diablo Unified School District and thinking about its effects could “be something worth looking into,” said Cody.
In order to create an improved calendar for the year 2025 to 2026 after the 2024 to 2025 school year ends, the MDUSD will amass feedback from staff, students and parents.
