The Duval Schools headquaters building on Prudential Drive. | Megan Mallicoat, Jacksonville Today
Published on April 8, 2026 at 3:15 pm
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Duval Schools students and teachers will get the whole week off at Thanksgiving this fall.
The School Board voted Tuesday to change its calendar for the 2026-27 school year. The revised calendar shuffles scheduled student holidays but includes the same number of no-school days: 33.
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To make room for the longer break at Thanksgiving, a long weekend around Veteran’s Day was eliminated. But to account for a required professional development day for teachers, Spring Break was increased by one day.
The district also cut one of the planned hurricane days, which are treated as days off from school unless a storm creates an unexpected day off that needs to be made up. And, teachers will now work through June 4 instead of June 3.
Superintendent Christopher Bernier said all other districts in Florida give a week off at Thanksgiving, and so this change brings Duval into alignment with surrounding communities. Earlier this school year, the district received criticism from parents and employees for scheduling a partial week off at Thanksgiving.
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At a workshop last month where the board discussed the calendar change, Bernier said student and staff attendance during the week of Thanksgiving were “not exactly highlights of perfect attendance.” Providing the whole week off would allow families to “plan their vacation without removing their students from instructional minutes,” Bernier said.
Thanksgiving stress
Duval Schools’ calendar is created by a committee of employees, parents and community stakeholders and approved by the School Board. Florida, like most states, requires its districts to have 180 school days each year — and days off can create tension for parents whose work schedules don’t align.
District 4 rep Darryl Willie said that was a factor in the district’s earlier decision to not give a week off at Thanksgiving.
“The flip side of all this is you do have families that aren’t able to take a vacation and have to work,” Willie said. “There’s a strain on some parents.”
Bernier said “partner support” from organizations the district works with for after-school programs could be helpful in finding solutions for those families.
