Puerto Rico Education Secretary Eliezer Ramos Parés announced on Friday that public school students will get 11 consecutive days without classes in November. The last day of classes will be Wednesday, November 18. Thursday, November 19 is a holiday for the Day of Puerto Rican Heritage, and there will be no classes on Friday, November 20.
That is followed by the entire week of November 23 to 27, so students return to classrooms on Monday, November 30. In total, counting the weekends, that makes 11 consecutive days off. Ramos Parés said the school calendar includes extra days set aside for possible emergencies and eventualities, which allows the recess without violating the minimum of 180 instructional days.
The decision also responds to the days off that Governor Jenniffer González Colón recently announced for public employees. The secretary shared the information in a radio interview, and official communication will be sent to schools soon. The secretary also urged parents and guardians to visit schools this Friday to learn about their children’s academic performance, stressing that meetings with teachers should address social development, behavior and each student’s needs, not only grades.
He added that in November, orientation activities and enrollment processes will begin at the specialized schools.