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Vocal parent urges Fremont County SD #2 to adopt permanent four-day week, cites Wyoming examples
Summary
A Du Bois parent urged the board to adopt a four-day school week, arguing the district meets Wyoming instructional-hour requirements and highlighting other rural districts’ experiences with improved attendance, teacher retention, and reduced behavioral incidents.
At the visitor-comments portion of the Feb. 17 meeting, a Du Bois parent, identified as Mrs. McDaniels, asked the Fremont County School District #2 board to consider implementing a permanent four-day school week rather than the district’s current alternating four- and five-day schedule.
McDaniels told the board she and other parents she spoke with favor a four-day week for practical reasons in a rural community — scheduling medical and extracurricular appointments, reducing the need to pull students out of class for out-of-town travel, and supporting family logistics. She said her review of state requirements and the district’s daily calendars indicates the district already meets or exceeds the Wyoming minimum instructional hours for kindergarten (450 hours), elementary (900 hours), middle (950 hours) and high school (1,000 hours), and that a four-day schedule could preserve instructional time while shifting how it is delivered.
McDaniels cited coverage and examples from other Wyoming districts that have moved to four-day weeks, including Sublette County School District No. 1, Hot Springs County School District No. 1 and Sweetwater County districts. She said those districts reported improved attendance, fewer behavioral incidents and reduced teacher absenteeism; she also said Sublette County’s elementary schedule runs slightly longer each day and includes an afternoon enrichment/tutoring component.
Board chair and staff thanked McDaniels for the materials she provided and said the board would take her input under advisement. Doctor Walters and business staff did not commit to an immediate change but indicated the board would consider the survey results and community feedback as the calendar committee continues its work.
What happens next: The board accepted McDaniels’ materials and requested staff to include community feedback in the calendar review process; no timetable for a decision on a four-day week was set at the meeting.
