LANEVILLE, Texas (KETK) — 21 East Texas school districts have moved to a four-day school week. Now, Laneville ISD is considering making the switch.
Laneville ISD is considering the switch to a four-day school week like 21 other East Texas districts already have.
Almost 200 Laneville Yellowjackets might join the growing number of East Texas students moving to a four-day school week.
“Their data was showing that student attendance rates increased, teacher attendance rates increased,” said Teresa Wright, Laneville ISD Superintendent.
Janice Blanton, a Laneville ISD parent, attended the parent meeting put on by the district and supports the move.
“They have more time to do what they need as far as the lesson plans and being more interactive with the children to see if they need more help with their schoolwork and anything else the children may need,” Blanton said.
Wright said with the proposed calendar, the learning minutes needed by law will still be met.
Kaleigh Clark, a Laneville ISD parent, is against the four-day school week. She said she believes the children will not have enough time.
“Now you’re trying to cram even more into fewer days sure you’re gonna keepsake the time but you’re trying to cram it into longer days. These are children. They’re not adults,” Clark said.
So far, the proposed schedule suggests Fridays off.
Wright said that statistics from other schools show that the four-day school week has more benefits than negatives.
“Are there more positives? I can’t even get them to tell me what the negatives are because supposedly they don’t exist, and I don’t believe that one second,” Clark said.
Laneville ISD said it will send out a survey to assess how many families would need childcare on Fridays.
“Depending upon how many students would need childcare. We would then of course set up a program to where we could bring those students in on Fridays with staff that wants to work that fifth day,” Wright said.
The new calendar year will be voted on by the school board in another meeting on April 11.
