Due to a recurring decline in student attendance leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, Round Rock ISD has decided to give students and staff the entire Thanksgiving week off.

This decision is probably one of the best decisions Round Rock has made.

The traditional three days off has never worked out well for staff or students. Most classes taken by students need more than two days for teachers to cover a lesson thoroughly and up to the standard RRISD has set. Although some may argue that high school students have plenty of time to learn with the block schedule, the two days would only be enough for one lesson in each class. Then, students would leave school mid-topic and come back from the break having forgotten everything. Teachers would have to reteach everything to refresh their memory, a huge inconvenience that makes it seem like the teachers never taught the students the subject in the first place. Middle schoolers and elementary schoolers typically have easy days on the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving because teachers don’t have enough time to plan a lesson that can be taught in the limited time space.

In 2013, 43.4 million Americans traveled for Thanksgiving. Many families take trips which interfere or overlap with the school days resulting in the students of the families missing school work. With having the whole week off, families are free to schedule trips to see extended family or friends without having to worry about missing school days. Thanksgiving is, after all, the holiday to be with your family and friends.

Around Thanksgiving, students are beginning to start studying and worrying about finals. Giving them the week off gives them time to rest, catch up on work, and start finals reviews. School is already stressful enough; students–especially high schoolers whose finals could decide or change their future careers and lives– don’t need added stress about lack of time for finals studying. Even though people are upset about school now ending in the first week of June instead of the last week of May, this break is exactly what students need to cool down before upcoming tests.

RRISD should keep the decision of giving faculty and students a week long Thanksgiving break in following years. The added days off are a relief to staff and students, and gives us all something to be thankful for.