Students rail against block scheduling

Faculty and students at Chapel Hill High School missed their lunch break Monday afternoon to voice their concerns about a proposal to change class schedules.

Several students wearing white T-shirts with vivid black lettering shuffled into the school auditorium to attend a student-initiated forum to discuss possible schedule changes.

The shirts simply read "Think Outside the Block" and neatly summarized a prevailing sentiment at Chapel Hill High School.

A proposal to introduce a block-based class schedule in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School district has met stiff and highly vocal opposition from students.

The proposal includes changing the class schedule from six 55-minute classes that last all year to a block plan featuring four 90-minute classes that could run the duration of one quarter, one semester or the entire school year. Some classes also could be split into 45-minute segments.

Superintendent Neil Pedersen will present the proposal Thursday to the board of education.

Pedersen and Lisa Stuckey, board vice chairwoman, attended Monday's forum to relay reaction to other board members.

Students and teachers were allowed up to two minutes each to comment or pose questions during the forum - and comment was wholly negative.

No student or teacher spoke in support of the plan.

At one point, student speaker Sebastian Green asked the audience to indicate, by a show of hands, their position on the issue.

Calls for those in favor of or undecided about the proposal only drew a few hands.

But when Green asked who opposed the idea, hundreds of people raised their hands.

Student speakers addressed a variety of concerns about block scheduling. They noted a lack of studies definitively showing the academic benefits of block scheduling and said that the schedule change could mean a decrease in total minutes taught and an increase in class size.

Students also worried about their inability to pay attention for the longer periods.

The speeches were often met with wild cheering from the audience.

"Block scheduling doesn't do anything to help you. It holds you back," said student Elise Juraschek.

But Pedersen said that he believed there is a definite need for change and that a hybrid block schedule is the best option. "I think we need to go forward with the process and reach a decision," he said.

Stuckey agreed, saying "It's a problem that needs a remedy."

The school district has considered three other scheduling scenarios. The first involved seven shorter periods in the same amount of time as the current schedule.

The second option included the addition of a full-length period and a lengthening of the school day.

The third proposal was a seven-period schedule in which students would take three alternating 90-minute courses and one 65-minute course each day.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.