Thurston students and parents in Springfield, OR, will be facing a significant change to the current school day schedule next year. The school district's proposal to assign all students to a grade-level advisory schedule cuts from existing class times and reduces the valuable break period. This shift is likely to disrupt the well-balanced learning environment that our traditional school schedule provides.

Under the new advisory schedule, students will be spending more time with one teacher each day, drastically reducing the diversity of learning experiences that the traditional schedule offers. Our current system allows students to interact with various teachers and subjects every other day, fostering a much-needed variety and balance in their educational journey. The proposed change would eliminate this variety, leaving students with increased monotony and reduced engagement.

Also, this new schedule is likely to lead to a rise in daily tardies. Reducing other class times and breaks to accommodate a daily advisory session is likely to increase the struggle students already have with moving promptly between classes. Our traditional school schedule, with its alternating days, naturally allows students more time between classes and less traffic in the hallways, which reduces tardiness.

Please support the petition to retain our traditional school schedule at Thurston to ensure our children continue to receive an effective educational experience. Sign the petition to urge the school district to consider the negative impacts the new scheduling system could have on our school.