Crosby ISD kicks off four-day school week Monday
CROSBY, Texas - On Monday morning, alarm clocks for Crosby ISD students will go off bright and early as school will officially begin.
"I’m ready for her to go back," said parent Chasity Nathan. "I don’t know about her, but I’m ready."
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This year will look a little different. The district has now moved to a four-day school week by eliminating Fridays and adding an extra 25 minutes for the remaining days.
"I thought it was a good move for Crosby. Because truthfully as a mom, I have four kids, two middle schoolers and two elementary, and I think that kids are in school too much and too long. So I think having that extra just really allows them to be kids," said Francis Rogers, another Crosby ISD parent.
But not everyone thinks the same.
"I wish it was still the five day," said Nathan. "I’m not a fan of the four day. I just feel like they need the extra day to learn."
We looked at a study released earlier this year by RAND Research, which analyzed outcomes in six different states, saying they saw, "increasing evidence that, by and large, a four-day school week causes student achievement to suffer."
The reason for the change, Crosby ISD says, is to recruit more teachers.
"I think it has benefited Crosby, because I know that compared from last year to this year, there’s not that much vacancies as far as for teachers, so it has benefited our community a lot," Rogers said.
And it shows. Crosby ISD tells FOX 26, they’ve seen a 70% improvement to recruitment compared to last year.
However, childcare is also problem for some working parents. So the district has partnered with the YMCA to offer Friday childcare for $75 a month.
"I’m very thankful because she can go and still learn something on her day off," said Crosby ISD parent Andrea Windom.
Crosby parents, don’t forget to send your kids off with either a clear or mesh backpack for the first day of school.