Please note: Carlton area signatures only (Carlton Community, Teachers, Students, Parents/Families)

As a concerned parent within the Carlton School District, I am deeply troubled by the recent proposal to reduce our school week from five days to four. This change was proposed without adequate notification or consultation with parents, and it threatens not only our children's education but also places an undue burden on working families who will need to pay for additional childcare. For families that have students at home on the fifth day, many will be unsupervised; a study cited in Education Finance and Policy found that a four-day school week led to an almost 20 percent increase in juvenile crime (Volume 16 issue 4). The shift to a four-day week could likely drive current families away and discourage new ones from joining our district.

The proposed four-day school week would result in our children losing 25 days of education per year, which is a significant amount of learning. While the four-day plan tries to partially make up for those days by adding minutes to each day, research shows that students benefit from shorter, more frequent learning periods (American Psychological Association). The Minnesota Department of Education report card indicated the number of Carlton elementary students meeting standards in math, reading and science was only a little over 50 percent in 2023, and alarmingly only 26 percent of Carlton secondary students meeting standards in math. Would removing 25 days result in even fewer students meeting the standards? Carlton’s proposed four-day plan also contradicts its own ‘Attendance Matters’ reminder found within the Smore bulletin that says ‘Even missing 10 minutes per day can have an impact on your child's learning’.

Moreover, the process through which this proposal has been advanced is deeply flawed. The survey conducted via Google Forms is anonymous, which allows for one person to submit multiple entries, therefore, the results are extremely unreliable. Also, the results are skewed in favor of those who were personally notified about it - primarily high school students and district teachers (“98% of staff are on board” per Superintendent). There was no all-call, email or papers in backpacks sent home to notify families– those most likely to be opposed.

We urge Carlton Schools to reconsider this decision based on these concerns and maintain a five-day school week that best serves our children's educational needs and supports working families' schedules. Carlton community, please sign this petition now if you agree that we should keep a five-day school week at Carlton Schools.

Please note: Carlton area signatures only (Carlton Community, Teachers, Students, Parents/Families)