A new flex schedule will be in place starting on Monday, March 25. A committee of teachers and staff have decided on a need for a new system for flex due to over 350 students each day not signing up for flex. When students do not sign up for flex, teachers do not know where students are during this period.
In an attempt to fix students not signing up for flex staff has decided to bring back the flex schedule the now seniors had when they were freshmen in 2020-2021.
On Monday students will return back to their first period during normal flex time. For 25 minutes students will be able to get help from their first-period teachers on any missing work or makeup tests.
Throughout the week students will rotate their flexes depending on their class periods. For example, students start Monday with their first period and will have flex with their second period teacher on Tuesday. Students will go through their schedule until they have had flex with all their class periods then the schedule will repeat.
Starting after spring break students will be able to have Wednesdays and Thursdays like the old flex system. Students can pick which flex period they would like to attend outside of their assigned class periods. This still allows students to see teachers they do not have and attend clubs during the school week.
Principal John Darnell talked about the improvement the new flex will do for making sure students are where they are supposed to be he said “It helps students go where they need to go to get the help that they need.”
If students do not sign up for flex on Wednesdays and Thursdays it will be treated like they are skipping class and consequences will follow from the code of conduct.
The new flex schedule will benefit students and teachers by allowing them to get the help they need while the teachers know where their students are. Using the old flex system students were skipping flex to avoid having to do missing work or uncompleted tests. With the new flex, students will not be able to avoid their teachers.
AP Seminar teacher Katie Simon feels as if the new flex schedule will have a good impact on her students and her teaching.
She said: “Overall I think it is much better and I like that I have more control over who is in my classroom and know my kids in my flex.”
One of the other issues was there were not enough open flexes for students to go to. Without enough flexes, it leaves students without a place to sign up or go. The new schedule should require students to have to pick their flexes less, securing them with a place to always go for flex.
In schoology new places have been made for flex periods with each teacher students have through their school day. Students will not be receiving grades in these new classes on Schoology but it will be used as a place for teachers to mark students attendance.
Physics teacher Matthew Mickelson expressed that he thinks the new flex schedule will allow him to have a secure time to work with his students who need extra help he said: “I think it provides good structure for students, enables teachers to be able to know where students are supposed to be, and gives me a set time to work with classes who are struggling.”
Overall, teachers and staff think the new flex schedule should have a positive impact on students, their grades, and attendance.