McAllen parents upset high school days will be extended

McALLEN - The district's high school students will spend another half hour in class each day starting this fall.

The McAllen school district is expanding its high school students' day to accommodate an eighth class period so next year's sophomores and freshmen can meet updated graduation requirements and still participate in sports, band and other extracurricular activities.

High school is slated to begin at 8:10 a.m. and end at 4:10 p.m. Currently, high school classes start at 8:15 a.m. and let out at 3:45 p.m.

Some parents aren't happy, saying administrators did not seek their input.

They also worry their children will have less time for homework, as students will need to keep up with an extra class and also stay after school longer for extracurricular activities. Concerned parents plan to complain during the public comment portion of the regularly scheduled school board meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.

Kevin Rock, who has two sons on the football team, said his children already come home from practice at 7 p.m. and stay up until at least 1 a.m. finishing homework.

"It puts stress on them," Rock said about the extra class and longer school day.

The district began looking at scheduling a year and a half ago, after the state increased graduation requirements for high school students. Under the previous policy, students were required to earn at least 24 credits - including four in English, three in math, three in science and three and a half in social studies - but they had the opportunity to earn as many as 28 credits.

Starting with this year's freshmen, students must take four years each of English, math, science and social studies and earn at least 26 credits to graduate, but they have the opportunity to earn as many as 32 credits.

Without the extra class period, the increased credit requirement would give students less opportunity to make up credits if they fail a class, school officials said at the last school board meeting April 28.

Other districts, including Sharyland, Weslaco and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo, use block scheduling, in which students take four classes a day, each usually about an hour and a half long. Weslaco and PSJA alternate days a given class is held, while Sharyland alternates semesters.

Mission added a ninth period to its two high schools this year to accommodate the state mandates and a college readiness course the school district requires students to take, resulting in a school day that runs from 8:05 a.m. to 4:04 p.m.

Hidalgo has eight periods and offers students the option of taking online courses to make up credits they may be lacking.
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Jennifer L. Berghom covers education and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4462.