Juneau students could begin school an extra half hour on Wednesdays in the next school year, if the school board votes in favor of an idea from district administrators.
The later start time will give teachers the chance to collaborate without the distraction of students. Administrators claim it will aid elementary school teachers in meeting requirements of the stricter requirements set by the Alaska Reads Act, which include teacher education as well as student testing and communication with parents. The act also gives teachers in high and middle schools additional time for training and planning.
“The study is simple: we have the most effective educational outcomes when adults are able to spend the time to be together, without children” the superintendent Bridget Weiss said at a school board meeting on Tuesday.
The Alaska Reads Act, which is set to take effect in July, is designed to boost reading comprehension in the third graders. The Board’s President Deedie Sorensen has said that she was aware of the need for additional training and preparation time However, she said that a lot of parents and teachers had informed that they did not like the delayed beginning.
It’s a style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”I have seen how useful it was for me when I worked as a teacher, and we were trying out new programs in our classroom and we were given the chance to contemplate the idea and then work on the issue,” she said. “I haven’t heard of one person who thinks that the late start isn’t the best idea. .”
Virginia Behrends has four kids in the district. She informed the board that the decision to start school late during midweek could affect the sleep schedules of children.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”Monday’s always busy. After returning from a long weekend, children don’t want to wake up,” she said. “Tuesday you finally get them to wake up Then on Wednesday, you’ll say”You’re allowed to stay in bed for five minutes, or 10 minutes more,’ and the next day, we’ll go back on Thursday and repeat the same thing again. .”
The board members Elizabeth Siddon asked administrators to think about releasing students an hour earlier once a week instead. However, Ted Wilson, director of teaching and support for learning in the district, argued that the early release would disrupt after-school activities.
A board Member Emil Mackey said either option is a burden on parents working full-time, who may need to alter their work schedules or find other childcare. Wilson suggested that the district might require more employees to run its child care program which is already having difficulty finding workers due to the city’s shortage of workers.
Others on the board asked if the early or late release would be reserved exclusively for elementary school because there is no requirement for elementary school. Alaska Reads Act only adds new requirements for children in the younger grades. Weiss stated that there aren’t enough school buses to accommodate multiple schedules for one school group.
Weiss claimed she’s seen late start times being used across other cities. The key to either method she added, is to practice it every week.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”I’ve been in districts that had an early release. It was a couple of weeks in order to limit the impact,” she explained. “It isn’t lasting, as nobody knows for sure which week it is or the week before. .”
A school board is expected to consider the plan again, possibly with the help of administrators, at its next board meeting on the 13th of June.
