Sir/Madam,
I am submitting my comment as a high school student. Please do not change the 5-day week. As a student, it will be devastating. The bad effects of fewer contact days at schools during the pandemic are still fresh in my mind. From a quick decision it may seem like four days is a good option, but it is going to demoralize students and make us less competitive in the state and country for college admission. The attendance will be even worse as people will take every week a long weekend and probably Monday also (tired from trips to Disney land etc etc). A lot of my friends are also dependent on the school food. No school Friday means, no food for them. We are already overwhelmed by the high school schedule of 7:40 to 2:45, I can’t imagine even longer days (possibly, lots of students will shift to Miami, Palm Beach, or other places if the school week is shortened). My sleep has gone down drastically due to the school schedule. Teaching five-day materials in four days means asking someone to eat the food for five days in four days. We have a limit on how much we can concentrate and learn in one day, already the last two periods are difficult to go through. I am sure you all know that the attention deficit has been a major problem for our generation of kids. Please consider the mental health of the students as you put them in longer hours in school. Whatever may be the reason for this unusual initiative but I can assure you that it will only harm our learning. Thank you for listening to me.

Esteemed Board Members,
Five-day school week is tried and tested across the nation and world. Please do not break which is running well. Historically, cost saving on transportation, air conditioning, janitorial, and clerical costs was the main motivation of a select few rural school districts to move to a shorter academic week.

Our inability to manage students (e.g., undisciplined kids involved in fights and bullying) shouldn’t be a reason to reduce their presence on campus. It’s unclear what will be the enrichment programs on Friday. Even then if there is no transportation, then how students are going to attend those? Not all parents are available to transport them every Friday. BCPS serves a large number of minority students with very little to no access to other transportation. This will eventually create even greater inequality which has already amplified in the post-pandemic time.

Additional pressure on the already stressed high school schedule; co-curricular and extracurricular activities (inside/outside school) will be severely affected due to the extended time at the school on those four days. Pedagogical data suggest that humans (let alone kids) can't hold attention for such a long period. Even the university schedule is not that long. Students will be hungry and unfocused, leading to substandard learning.

Sleep-deprived students will have even less time to recover. It’s unnatural to think that they will catch up on their sleep on Friday, the biological principles of circadian rhythm don’t support that type of sleep pattern.

Food insecurity is another major issue. We can't judge BCPS by a few affluent cities. A large number of BCPS students benefit from school meals, and reducing one day means pushing those kids towards malnutrition, and food insecurity, leading to an unstable and unsafe learning environment.

In districts that adopted shorter school week, retaining/attracting teachers remains a myth. In contrast, teachers will be under more pressure to cover the same material and see their students fewer days to follow up on missed exams.

If the BCPS board finds any value in the curtailed school, please organize town hall meetings and ensure the participation of all stakeholders.

Dear BCPS Board Members,
Thank you for reading this. I was registered as a public speaker, but this agenda item has been moved from 12:00 to 12:45 and I have to be in Miami at 1:30 pm. I can be reached at 224-310-7870.

From reviewing the info on the agenda, it can be comfortably said that the BCPS survey data is mixed at best. Combining all “not agreeing” categories, the majority of people are NOT in favor of the change. Similarly, the outcomes from other school districts that adopted a four-day school week (4DSW) are highly inconclusive (or negative if at all anything out there). It would be unrealistic and unfair to implement something because a section of the population is expressing their convenience or other reasons, not necessarily due to quality improvement. Why fix something if not broken?

A research conducted by Killbirn et al. indicates that students on 4DSW achieved much lower English, language, arts, and math test scores compared with 5DSW. Saving was the major motivation for adopting 4DSW.

In stark contrast to the current position of BCPS, most of the 4DSW is from rural areas, primarily because of limited resources. However, savings have been elusive due to the additional costs involved with 4DSW. A study published by Paul M. Hewitt and George S. Denny (2011) from the University of Arkansas explicitly said that “decisions to change to the four-day week should be for reasons other than student academic performance”. Looking at the robust budget and excellent resources available with BCPS, it’s baffling why we should go for a 4DSW as cost-cutting due to budget constraints has been the most common reason for reducing the number of school days.

In conclusion, BCPS truly needs to identify what are the exact reasons for this drastic change in this well-established school district. If the board finds any merit in this system (if at all), I earnestly request to set up task forces and committees involving all stakeholders including educationalists and parents. Please don’t make this major decision simply based on a survey and don’t go for voting on this yet. It is likely that BCPS will lose its edge over other Florida and southern state districts if we go towards the highly uncertain path of 4DSW.

As a Broward County teacher, I can understand the appeal of a four day work week. I have questions though. The new law that requires high schools to start no later than 8:30 by 2026 is concerning when considering a longer work day. I have read that Broward Schools has asked to be exempted from this law, but are they going to be granted the exemption? Beginning no earlier than 8:30 would mean the end of the day would be closer to 6pm. This impacts not only extra curricular but those students who work to supplement family income. I work in a school with 70% free or reduced lunch. No school on Friday could also impact food security for some students. I'm also concerned that this move would mean a 20% pay cut for cafeteria workers who would lose that day or work. Finally, I believe that if the school board decides to implement this schedule, it should be phased in over several years rather than all high schools all at once. Thank you for the opportunity to voice my concerns.

Longer school days: To compensate for the lost day, you may extend the length of the remaining four days. Longer school days can lead to fatigue and reduced attention spans, potentially hindering students' ability to focus and learn effectively.
Impact on academic performance: With less instructional time each week, students may not receive the same level of exposure to key concepts and skills. This could potentially impact academic performance, particularly in subjects that require regular practice and reinforcement.
Loss of structured learning time: Schools provide a structured environment that supports students' learning and development. A shorter school week reduces the amount of time students spend in this environment, potentially leading to disruptions in their routines and less time for academic engagement.
Reduced access to resources: For some students, schools serve as a vital source of resources beyond academics, such as meals, counseling services, and extracurricular activities. A shorter school week may limit students' access to these resources, especially if they rely on them for their well-being and personal development.
Potential for increased absenteeism: With an extra day off each week, there may be a temptation for students and teachers to take additional days off, leading to increased absenteeism and disruptions to the learning environment.