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High school presents revised daily schedule to board; plan would redistribute study hall time and keep senior privilege with conditions
Summary
High school administrators proposed a new nine-period scheduling model intended to spread study-hall time across the day, improve access to electives and create on-site math and writing clinics. The proposal keeps senior privilege but suggests eligibility and monitoring, with further work requested on athletics, traffic and counseling impacts.
The Abington Heights High School administration presented a proposed schedule change that would redistribute a single end-of-day study hall across the school day, create dedicated math and writing clinic time, and convert homeroom into a second-period managerial block. The proposal would keep a senior privilege (late arrival or early release) option for qualifying seniors but encourage academic expectations and safeguards.
Dr. Tione, leading the presentation, described a committee of teachers and staff that met regularly and reviewed survey and scheduling data. Administrators said the current ninth period is a 37-minute study hall that many students use to leave campus or disengage; moving study-hall minutes into other periods would lengthen all class blocks to be uniform, reduce scheduling conflicts for elective courses and create space for targeted intervention clinics.
Why it matters: Administrators argued that the change would increase student access to electives, provide more meaningful in-school intervention time for students who need it, and address end-of-day supervision and student disengagement problems. Board members raised questions about athletics, senior privilege timing, traffic and how students would access teacher help when teacher schedules differ.
Key components of the proposal
Dr. Tione said the committee's goals included equalizing period lengths, improving intervention time (noting that shorter ninth-period classes reduce intervention minutes for students in special programs) and increasing elective enrollment by reducing scheduling conflicts. The plan would shift homeroom duties to second period so morning announcements and attendance are taken then, and would allow seniors who qualify to take a morning or afternoon privilege rather than only the current end-of-day option.
Student supports and clinic concept
Administrators proposed restoring math and writing clinics as drop-in supports during the school day and reducing the number of students assigned to each study hall teacher to increase accountability. Dr. Tione said teachers would continue on duty in the cafeteria and throughout the day to preserve informal access, and counselors would coordinate work-experience and off-campus approvals.
Concerns and adjustments requested by the board
Board members asked about athletics conflicts (away-game scheduling), verification and monitoring of senior privilege, community traffic effects, and whether an academic threshold should be attached to senior privilege. Several board members recommended an academic component or eligibility criteria for senior privilege and asked administrators to pilot implementation details, including opt-in/opt-out timing, transcript implications for students who drop added courses, and coordination with the athletic department.
Ending
Administrators did not request a vote on the day of the presentation; the board and staff agreed to continue the conversation, refine implementation details and return with a proposed calendar and operational guidance that addresses eligibility, traffic flow and the clinic staffing model.
