The Athens ISD Board of Trustees voted this afternoon to go to a 4-day instructional week for the 2019-2020 school year.
“The Athens ISD Board of Trustees is committed to serving the educational needs of our students by hiring and retaining teachers of exceptional quality. We believe that the proposed new four day academic week will uniquely allow our District to accomplish this goal since the best teachers are vital to learning,” said School Board President Rob Risko.
Only Board Member Gina Hunter voted against the move.
According to information released by the district earlier this month, “Under the plan being considered, students would begin the 2019-2020 school year on Aug. 5, with the last day of instruction being May 28 and graduation on May 29. In order to comply with the state’s requirements for a minimum number of instructional minutes during a school year, the instructional day would increase by 50 minutes. Under the proposal, elementary students would start the day at 7:45 and end at 3:55. The expanded school day, among other benefits, allows for longer recess times, which is proven to be particularly beneficial for young children. For middle school and high school students, the day would start at 8 and end at 4:25. The later start time for secondary students is also in response to research, which clearly indicates teenagers perform better academically later in the morning.”