AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Senate is proposing a bill that would get rid of four-day schools weeks some Central Texas school districts implemented.
Senate Bill 2368 proposed by State Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) would revoke the four-day week and mandate five-day weeks.
Campbell says her reasoning behind the bill is that a shorter week can have negative impacts on both students and families, as families have to find child care during the one-day off.
She also says "students cannot afford to lose any more precious hours of instructional time" following reading and math score gaps that were created during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Four-day school weeks recently became popular among smaller and rural school districts across Texas, according to the Texas Tribune. Academy ISD's Superintendent Billy Harlan told 6 News in January that four-day weeks helps smaller districts like Academy ISD compete with Texas school districts offering a bigger starting salary for teachers.
Harlan also said a shorter school week could also help with the teacher shortage seen across Texas, as well as the nation.
Locally, Academy ISD, Rockdale ISD and China Spring ISD approved a four-day school for the 2023 to 2024 school year.
If SB 2368 passes, schools would have to:
- Have 175 minimum instructional days during the year
- Include time for instruction, intermissions and recesses for students in a minimum of 75,600 minutes
SB 2368 would also allow the Commissioner of Education to approve fewer instructional days or minutes for schools if there are extreme weather situations that result from closing schools.