Juniors report disappointment and seniors were surprised by a significant change that has been made this school year: late arrival and early dismissal options have been unexpectedly taken away from juniors. And they should have that option.
This change can be seen in the updated SD#308 course catalog, where it used to mention that juniors and seniors had the option of late arrival and early release, and now page 18 of the course catalog reads that “12th-grade students who have earned 18 credits by the start of Senior year may select [late arrival] from the following options to complete [their] schedule.”
According to OH junior Jake Hernandez, “I took certain electives so I would have enough credits to do it, and then they took it away at the last minute.”
As senior students who had late arrival last year, it was very surprising to see this change, especially because it had been standard for juniors for quite some time. The unexpectedness of the decision is what is really bothering us and other students.
How unexpected was this change? Hernandez was not even aware of this change until the first day of this school year when he set up a meeting with his counselor.
“I think it’s pretty unfair, because I feel like no juniors got any warning that they were taking it away,” said OH senior Ashley Hahn. “A lot of people were looking forward to it.”
This change is not only unfortunate for their juniors, but extremely inconvenient. As students plan their eight-period schedule, seeking early release periods at the start of the academic day or early release at the end of the day help to schedule other parts of life like work or family responsibilities, just to name a few.
“A lot of people that I knew were centralizing their schedules, they were just gonna go around having late arrival,” said OH junior Sofia Herrera.
Having late arrival was always something we could look forward to every morning when we woke up. Getting more sleep on school nights is a crucial building block for students to have a more productive day.
“I feel like I’d be able to sleep in [with late arrival]” said OH junior Enzo Marasco, “and then in my second period I’d be more focused and more alert.”
Since junior year is often known as the most difficult, even just a few extra minutes of zzzz’s can present a multitude of necessary benefits, and the same goes for early release.
“Having early release is really good because it gives me a lot of time to go home early,” Hahn explained, “and [then] I have extra time to work on my homework and extra time to hang out with friends even on the weekdays.”
Not only does early release give “extra” time, it gives necessary time to balance things like homework, sports, work, and also time for ourselves.
“It helped me get my work done a lot better,” Hahn added, “because I had a lot of extra time to go home and do it.”
Even just 40 minutes can make a big difference in someone’s life. The SD#308 Board of Education or building administration may think that having early release is wasting productive work time, but really, most students use it to do productive things they otherwise would not have time to do.
“I go straight from the gym after school,” said Hernandez about the use of his early release period.
In some cases, juniors actually need that time for personal matters. After all, they are of the age to drive and work.
“I need that opportunity to work hard,” Herrera added, “and be able to afford the college I want to go to.”
Considering the impact this change has presented to juniors, it might be time for admin and students to make arrangements with the SD#308 Board of Education in order for students to reach their maximum potential.
Hi! I am Stephanie Mayorga, the Managing editor and Spanish editor for 42Fifty. I am involved in BIONIC, student council, Juniorettes, and multiple honors societies. I am a Senior and can't wait to further contribute the 42Fifty staff, and publish great pieces! You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name on the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
