KATV Channel 7 - The Spirit of Arkansas: Possible Bell Schedule Change for LRSD Middle School

(KATV) The Little Rock School District is holding public meeting to get input about changing the bell schedule for middle school students next year. Right now students go to classes every other day on what's called block schedule. The option is to have all 8 classes a day.

The change would affect upwards of six-thousand students. A vote by the teachers could come as early as the first week in March.

Middle school students in the Little Rock School District are on a two-day rotation schedule with four classes a day. That comes out to an hour and a half each. The option is to have eight classes that run 45-minutes each.

Whether change is for the best, parents have a lot of questions. One parent asks, "I'm concerned about the implementation of it, my kids in the middle of this will obviously be guinea pigs. So my question is what sort of checks and balances do you have in place that if there are problems?"

Karen Reid's kids are used to taking all classes daily, but she says when they transferred to the district she saw a change in her youngest. "My 6th grader is not as advanced as my other two were when they had the "A" period block. They lose a lot of learning."

The full day of classes would allow students to choose more electives and give teachers extra planning time, but it also means more students per class and there will be cost involved. Cathy Koehler is the President of the Little Rock Education Association. She says, "We'll need more art, music and technology teachers to allow the students to have those choices"

Koehler says the Association doesn't have a preference; they just want what's best for everyone. She adds, "The teachers that I've heard, the majority are in favor of doing this."

Some parents are worried their kids will have more homework with 8-classes a day. While others say the kids will be more focused with 45-minute classes rather than 90-minutes.

It will all be discussed again:

Tuesday, February 21 at Dunbar Middle School from 5:30 – 7 p.m.

Monday, February 27 at Henderson Middle School from 5:15 – 6:45 p.m.

Board Members are expected to attend meetings in their zone

First, 51% of teachers have to approve the change, but parents are encouraged to call or email the school board member in their zone because they're also voting and they're the voice of their district. To see a list of all board members and their email, click on the link under the picture.