Foxborough High adopts daily "Fox Block" to expand in-school academic supports

The Foxborough School Committee on June 10 approved the concept of a daily 30-minute "Fox Block" at Foxborough High School, a scheduling change district leaders say will expand in-school supports and give teachers more common planning time.

Superintendent and high-school leaders presented a three-year redesign intended to give students a regular, flexible block each day that can be either teacher-assigned (for required interventions) or student-registered (for extra help, lab time, portfolio work or meetings with coaches or college representatives). The trial run this spring used a platform called Minga to handle student registrations and staff assignments.

"We see this as a place where students will also have time to organize that vision of the graduate portfolio," the high school principal said, describing how the block will be used for makeup work, targeted instruction and collaboration among teachers.

Administrators said the plan preserves required instructional hours by shortening passing time and trimming five minutes from multiple class periods to create the Fox Block without reducing total annual seat time. The schedule retains six daily classes, shifts the day back slightly and includes a rotating "G block" to preserve music and other department needs; a sample schedule shown to the committee shows 30-minute Fox Block periods meeting daily and a system of "priority days" when departments can assign students for urgent interventions.

School leaders described two trials this year — a software/infrastructure test in December and a 10-plus-day operational trial after seniors left — to surface logistical issues such as registration timing and substitute-teacher limitations. They said adjustments remain under consideration (including whether the block fits better after a later period in the day) and that the committee was being asked to approve the concept and structure rather than every final timing detail.

Committee members thanked staff for extensive stakeholder work and for using trials to refine the approach. After discussion about student registration, enforcement for students who do not choose a Fox Block option, use of the period for college and coach visits, and protections for instructional time, a motion to adopt the Fox Block concept carried by voice vote, recorded 4-0-0.

The committee approved the concept rather than a final calendar-level schedule; administrators said they would return with implementation details and minor tweaks after concluding the trial and refining Minga workflows.