In Focus

The debate about a four-day school week in Bertha has been a hot topic. 

I’m conflicted. But I am not a parent. I understand the concern about that extra day off and finding a way to watch a child or children while parents work. Some will figure something out...get a high school babysitter or work with family or friends to take turns watching the kids. 

Is a four-day week going to work for everyone? No. It may be difficult for some, and they may switch to neighboring districts. 

The school has changed so much. It’s nothing like it was 20 years ago. There are more mandates and more topics to teach. There are also skyrocketing mental health concerns. Most of which we didn’t have 20 years ago. 

I’m incredibly thankful social media was just getting started when I was in high school. At that time, we had MySpace, and I couldn’t join Facebook until I hit college, as was the stipulation back then. It seems social media has created so many problems. Many kids don’t know how to act or think properly and are more apt to write something that they normally wouldn’t say. Not to mention bullying has evolved into cyberbullying. And young teens view unattainable beauty standards which can lead to eating disorders. The list goes on and on. 

There is not enough help to tackle the growing mental health crisis. Having an extra day off could go either of two ways. It could help lower stress. Maybe it’s one less day to deal with bullies. And there  may be more time for homework, more time to enjoy friends and hobbies, time for appointments, etc. I see the perks.

On the other hand, an extra day off could be detrimental. If the kids have a bad home life, another day stuck at home will not help that situation. Many in troublesome homes or situations use school as an escape. One less day in their school week could add another  day of stress and possibly one more day without a decent meal—one more day of potential abuse—one more day alone with depressing thoughts. It isn’t easy to think about. This is haunting me because we don’t know how many kids are in this type of situation. 

Sure, the school day will be about 45 minutes longer, but students will not notice it that much. If anything, they will get more time for the subjects they are learning. This could result in kids bringing home less homework. 

Having an extra day for teachers to prep, have meetings, and train without the hassle of trying to fit it into a regular school day, hoping to have enough time left in the day for themselves and their families, is a great thing. Having less stressed-out teachers is a great thing. I do believe this will help with retention. 

If the school still has to pay for transportation on the day off to keep their contract, they’d still save on fuel, which would save the district some money.

I see the many perks, but there’s back-and-forth data on whether this is good. I don’t know how this will affect students, and I’m torn. Everyone seems to be talking, but have they asked the kids’ opinions? They should be able to weigh in on the decision. 

I don’t want to see this issue causing any harm to the students. I’d rather pay more taxes if that is the case.