As a fresh new month gets kicked off, students look forward to the two extra hours of sleep that PLC Fridays allow. Many students adore beholding the familiar post on their Air Academy High School (AAHS) Instagram feed, which depicts a reminder of the Professional Learning Communities’ late start, also known as PLC. However, one cannot neglect the murmurs of a shift in the schedule between PLC’s late start and PLC’s early release. Many students believe that switching from PLC late start to early release would not aid nor benefit many students and teachers.
“A PLC early release would not benefit me, and I don’t think teachers would favor the switch,” senior Ryan Ellsworth said.
One of the most significant reasons these students believe that implementing the PLC early release would not be beneficial comes down to statistics. The CDC has recommended that high school students need at least 8 hours of sleep. Despite that, the copious amount of homework and the school’s early start time pose a challenge. One highly rigorous academic student highlighted this when asked if he was getting the recommended amount of sleep a high school student needs to function.
“No, with 4 hours of studying a night and all the AP courses I am taking, I find it very difficult,” senior Ryan Ellsworth stated.
Another reason the switch would not be favorable is its impact on teachers. Through PLC late starts, teachers collaborate and get to move out of their comfort zones. One teacher favors PLC late starts and would disapprove of the scheduling shift.
“Allowing me the time to work and meet with new teachers, whether in this school or others, is awesome!” social studies teacher, Mr. Longhenry, exclaimed.
Mr. Longhenry has a unique perspective on PLC because he also gets the opportunity to and the time to PLC at Rampart’s sports broadcasting.
In the interview, Longhenry expressed how he likes to keep a work-life balance and how PLC days allow him to be with his family directly after school instead of going elsewhere after a long day.
In the interview, the question regarding the schedule shift led to a discussion of how extracurricular activities would work after school if the school switched to early releases. This discussion is crucial for the administration to converse about if the switch were to happen.
On the other hand, many students believe they do not need to attend school on those Fridays due to shortened classes.
“PLC days are a short day and a Friday, so kids say there is no need to go to school.” school secretary Mrs. Clark remarked.
Mrs. Clark also provided a statistic that showed fluctuations in attendance on a typical school day compared to a PLC late start, and the data was shocking. Air Academy’s enrollment is 1351 students. On Friday, November 10, the typical day attendance showed only 248 unexcused absences. However, the following Friday, November 17, a PLC late start day doubled that with 433 unexcused absences.
These numbers govern many teachers’ argument that switching to an early release would change these numbers because the opportunity to go home early on these days will convey joy to students.
Statistics show that students need eight hours of sleep, and PLC late start days grant two extra hours of rest that students desperately need. PLC late starts provide time for teachers to work collaboratively and maintain the work-life balance more than they would if PLC was set at the end of the day. Though others can make a compelling argument, making the schedule swap from PLC late starts to early releases would not benefit many students or teachers.
