High school team proposes rotating drop schedule to expand course access and ease athletics conflicts

Hillsborough High School teachers, students and administrators on Monday urged the Hillsborough Township Board of Education to begin planning for a rotating drop schedule they say would expand course access, reduce daily class transitions and better support student wellness.

"The rotating drop schedule will be advantageous for our students by creating a rigorous and educational experience while maintaining a positive work–life balance," said Joe Hernandez, a science teacher at Hillsborough High School, introducing the committee's research and recommendation for a 2027–2028 rollout.

The presenters said the model observed at nearby Ridge High School informed their recommendation. Students would take fewer classes each day, allowing deeper focus and a new 25-minute mid-day access period—separate from lunch—intended for study, intervention or club meetings. Presenters said the schedule would let students earn up to about 160 credits across four years compared with roughly 140 under the current plan and estimated a roughly 16% increase in daily instructional time, figures they attributed to their modeling and school visits.

"It honestly is a mental relief that I believe everyone needs," said Skyler Haynes, a rising junior, describing how a required integrated study hall could provide time to complete homework and study for tests. Joey DeNuzzo, a rising sophomore and student-council member, told the board the change would likely increase participation in clubs and class-cabinet meetings by moving them into the school day.

Board members pressed presenters on several operational details. A board member asked why the district preferred a rotating drop rather than block scheduling; presenters said block schedules can produce uneven results in some subjects and that a rotating drop offers 50–60 minute class periods with a predictable access window that many schools have sustained for decades.

A board member raised a calculation that, over a four-day cycle, each class would meet three times for a total the questioner calculated as 174 minutes versus the current 200 minutes—about 26 minutes less per class every four days. Presenters responded that the schedule concentrates useful instructional minutes in the middle of class periods, that the access period can be used for interventions and that the district plans targeted professional development and curriculum review to maintain coverage of essential content.

Presenters acknowledged limits to their evidence of student support and described their current findings as largely anecdotal; they offered to pull data from the district's Genesis scheduling system and conduct broader student surveys to quantify demand and denied-course requests.

Other topics discussed included how AP courses would be adapted (presenters said AP teachers at visiting schools streamlined instruction and emphasized lab and independent work on drop days), the district preschool program (presenters said preschool would be preserved with high school students rotating their buddy assignments), and alignment with broader district goals. The presenters said they had worked with curriculum supervisors to ensure feasibility and plan to convert the committee into an implementation team to continue evaluations and outreach.

No formal vote or action was taken. Presenters reiterated this was the public rollout and said they would continue meetings, hold department-level discussions, publish the presentation and follow up with requested data and additional community sessions.

The board did not set a timeline for a formal decision; presenters confirmed the target implementation year discussed was the 2027–2028 school year and said additional planning, staff input and curriculum work would occur before any final board action.