Grant Parish School Board adopts change to school week

GRANT PARISH, La. (KALB) - The Grant Parish School Board has voted to adopt a four-day school week for the 2023-2024 school year.

After a five to three vote, students, teachers and faculty in the parish can say goodbye to school on Mondays and look forward to three-day weekends. The new plan will cut the days in school from 171 to 155, and also add 30 minutes to each day to make up the difference.

Talks of the proposed change began earlier this year when the school board released a survey on the shortened week. According to the results, both parents and teachers were strongly in favor.

Despite this, support for the proposal was split, with some concerns centering around childcare. Parents are now tasked with finding a place for their kids to go on Mondays.

“What are we going to do with the kids whose parents have to work Monday through Friday?” said board member Karen Layton. “They already struggle with childcare, and they already struggle with making sure their children are safe. I am just very concerned about that.”

The shortened week was a welcomed change for others though.

“I think that an extra day to decompress, or another day to catch up on things they need to do for school is good for mental health,” said Kimberly Briggs, a substitute teacher in the parish.

GPSB Superintendent Paxton Teddlie shared he was on the fence about the change. But a main driver for the proposal was attracting and retaining teachers.

“We are definitely having trouble attracting certified teachers,” said Teddlie. “Now we are having to use subs in our classrooms. So, that is what we are trying to do, get the best teachers in our classrooms.”

Now the parents, teachers and students of Grant Parish are saying so long to the traditional school week.

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