By Ben Morgan and FOX23.com News Staff
Jenks elementary and intermediate school parents will have to adjust to new schedule changes set to begin next school year.
The Jenks Board of Education approved a new block schedule for grades 7th through 12th on Monday.
For younger students in Pre-K through 6th grade, most Fridays will now be early dismissal days, a shift that has many parents wondering how they will manage pickup and childcare.
District leaders said the changes are needed to give teachers time to collaborate after a new state law eliminated distance learning and districtwide collaboration days.
While the change is intended to benefit teachers and students, some parents question how it will impact families who must adjust to the earlier Friday dismissal.
Jenks Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Suzanne Lair explained what led to the district’s ultimate decision.
“We considered looking at an early dismissal or late start. We surveyed all of our parents to get feedback on their preferences and the data came back and showed us that families really preferred a Friday afternoon early dismissal.”
On Monday night, Jenks board members voted for the new schedule to properly preserve that vital collaboration time for teachers and students as the new state law goes into effect.
“We can have more discussions around assessments and how we’re determining whether students know and understand the concepts. A lot of time for our teachers to really have those professional conversations so that we can provide the very best instruction for our students.”
Lair said the decision also reflected what many parents have been asking for.
“We continually hear from parents that they want students to have more options, more opportunities for real world learning experiences, problem solving opportunities. They want more internship opportunities for students.”
Parents reacted swiftly on social media after the announcement.
Some expressed frustration, writing comments stating:
“As a mom of kids with special needs, this sounds like a nightmare” and “What’s the significance of this type of schedule? Who benefits?”
Others offered support, commenting:
“Block scheduling is amazing!”
Others simply were wondering if the school had thought about how to accommodate families who couldn’t pick their children up early, writing:
“I’m curious how this affects the parents and their pickup schedule.”
FOX23 asked Lair what options may be available for families who cannot accommodate early Friday pickup.
“I think we’re going to be looking to see what options might be available, but I would encourage those parents just to start early and try to make plans accordingly.”
Lair emphasized that the district is still finalizing details and said adjustments could be made before the plan takes effect.
“We’re still working through some of the details, but the good news is it’s December. We have quite a bit of a runway to plan for this. We’re going to be heavily focused on professional learning for our teachers and working through the details we still need to address.”
The district has a Q&A section available for parents with questions about the new Pre-K through 6th grade schedule here.
Jenks Public Schools also encourages parents to contact their child’s site principal with any unanswered questions or suggestions as planning continues.
