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District pauses switch to proposed A/B calendar after principal and teacher feedback
Summary
The district put on hold a proposed change to an A/B schedule (A days Monday/Wednesday, B days Tuesday/Thursday with alternating Fridays) after principals and teachers raised continuity concerns, especially for middle and intermediate schools.
Washington County School District staff told the board March 3 the district will pause a proposed change to the A/B bell schedule and continue with the existing schedule next year while staff gather additional feedback.
District staff had proposed A days on Monday and Wednesday and B days on Tuesday and Thursday with alternating Fridays. Staff said the proposal was intended to help with concurrent-enrollment scheduling and to support students who have internships, externships or work commitments. Principals at high schools initially responded positively, but staff said follow-up conversations with middle- and intermediate-school faculty produced concerns about instructional continuity when holidays and alternate Fridays create extended gaps between same-day classes.
As a result, staff recommended keeping the current A/B arrangement next year and returning to the proposal after more study to determine its impacts across grades and schedules. Staff told the board they will continue to gather principal and teacher input and revisit the issue when they have “a more compelling why” for the change that outweighs classroom continuity concerns.
Why it matters: a districtwide bell schedule affects course sequencing, concurrent-enrollment opportunities and families’ childcare arrangements; changes can create operational complexity and require buy-in from teachers and principals.
Additional details: staff said the schedule was appealing to some high school programs (CTE and concurrent enrollment) and to parents, but that smaller schools and singleton specialist teachers reported the proposal caused difficult scheduling gaps for lab-based and shared resources.
