On a night in which the Spotsylvania County school division called each principal forward to celebrate the fact that every school met federal achievement standards last year, parents questioned why the school division this year put added pressure on youngsters to perform by cutting recess.
Parent Amy Bellison Claymon said there "seems to be a lack of common sense."
She called the advice of a consultant who recommended scheduling blocks of instructional time for elementary students "ridiculous." Claymon, like several parents, said her child has come home from school this year in tears for the first time. She said her daughter, a third-grader, "now comes home crying every day."
Parent Sean Davis questioned why none of the school staff appeared before the board to dispute the parent complaints.
"Why is it we just credited all principals for accreditation and why is it not one person is back here to rebut this," he asked the board.
Nearly every principal left after they were recognized. One principal and one teacher stayed to help Julie Hurst, executive director of curriculum, with a presentation to the board on the new scheduling system.
The school division implemented the scheduling change this school year to improve the use of instructional time and to improve performance, specifically allowing time for remedial work. The new schedule resulted in cutting daily recess by half for students in third through fifth grades--from 30 minutes to 15. Hurst said she was glad to hear from parents and is getting feedback from teachers and administrators. She said one teacher sent her a message expressing concerns and that she is willing to listen.
One teacher addressed the board on the recess issue.
Lorraine DelGrosso said she teaches in Spotsylvania and has a child in the school division, and said recess is part of the learning process.
"Kids are upset. Teachers are upset even if they aren't saying it. Parents are upset," she said.
Some parents urged the board to create an anonymous survey for teachers to get their input without fear of reprisal.
One parent also recommended board members spend a day with a third-, fourth- or fifth-grade class to see just how tight the schedule is during their school day.
Board member Linda Wieland said she has been meeting with teachers and listening to them and thinks changes may need to be made. "Every good program is started with good intents and there may be a time to revisit them," she said after 21 parents commented on the recess issue. "This may be that time."
Five parents came before the board with concerns about recess at the last board meeting on Sept. 14. Some of them returned last night to speak again.
Parent Colleen Wenger sounded like a defense attorney making her closing argument as she squeezed several points into her five minutes of comments.
She said she contacted four counties to find out how they handle recess and elementary school scheduling.
She said neither Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico nor Fairfax counties uses block scheduling at the elementary level and that all give those children 30 minutes of daily recess. "Each of them rank higher on their scores than we do," Wenger said. "What are these counties doing that we're not doing?"
She was among those calling for an anonymous survey of teachers. She closed her remarks by pleading with the board. "We beg you. Stand up for your people--your teachers and your students," she said before getting a standing ovation.
Board member James Gillespie said he listened to the speakers and is listening to his wife, who teaches third grade in the county. "I'm in favor of maybe re-looking at some of this, and it's important you told us," he said.
Board member Amanda Blalock was blunt about her view. "I think it should be back at 30 minutes," she said. But she added that if the change is made, it should be done so that changes don't need to be made again.
Board member Ray Lora asked Superintendent Jerry Hill to provide his recommendations to the board and place the issue on a future agenda for the board to address.
Wieland asked Hurst to create an anonymous survey for teachers and said it's "time to tweak" the new program and that she hoped to see recess back to 30 minutes.
Hurst told the board she had always planned to conduct a survey to get input on how the changes were working but said she didn't have a timeframe for when that would be done.
Pamela Gould: 540/735-1972
Email: pgould@freelancestar.com