Recently, Barrington High School has announced that they will be removing the study hall period for the 2026-27 school year. The change is being made because the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) requires schools to provide 330 minutes (5.5 hours) of instructional time per day. Per their rules, study halls cannot be counted towards this total. As a result, PE/Health will move to a semester system where students will have such for one semester and an additional elective for another. The effect of this change will be negative for the student body, especially for those who take AP or Honors classes, participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports and clubs, and/or work jobs.

The elimination of the study hall will place a significant burden on many students, particularly those who take AP or Honors courses, participate in extracurricular activities, and/or have after school jobs. Even with the current study period, these students often have a very difficult experience completing their demanding workloads while dealing with outside circumstances. Study hall has been quite beneficial for students, allowing us to make significant progress for assignments, take tests if we were absent or have to retake, study for tests and courses, and gain academic support from teachers and/or advisers. Without this time, students will be forced to complete even more work outside of school hours, where our hours to complete said work are often restricted. Students' stress levels will be increased and many will be forced to stay up into late hours to complete work, limiting the amount of sleep we can get. Because of this, students' academic performance during the school days will be decreased due to the lack of sleep, and mental health levels will be worsened. The change could also restrict students' abilities to participate in such high-level classes, after-school activities, and jobs. The new necessity to complete work in a lesser amount of time will disincentivize participation, potentially lowering both scores on tests like the SAT and the ability of Barrington students to be accepted into high-level universities, limiting the success of Eagles athletic teams, and preventing students from gaining life experience and money from jobs.

Another major impact of the loss of study will be the social impact. Study allows students to socialize, allowing peers to become friends, develop deeper friendships, and/or assist each other with schoolwork or studying. Promoting socialization also goes along with one of the main reasons for the new Yondr pouch policy the school has recently put in place. One of the main goals for that was to promote socialization, and maintaining study would continue to move forward that goal. I can personally attest to this: when I first entered high school, I had very few friends. Through study, I was able to meet, become friends, and develop my relationship with four peers who are now great friends of mine. I am sure that many other students feel the same way. It would be hypocritical of the school to not continue to foster the goal of socialization: in fact, communication and collaboration are two of the "Six C's" which the district uses as part of their vision for students.

I understand that Eagle Block has been proposed as an opportunity to complete work. However, this period lasts only thirty minutes, only half the time as study hall: this is not nearly enough time to complete meaningful work. Students will not be able to get into a proper rhythm due to its short length, something which me and other students can testify to. Additionally, we will not have enough time to finish tests which we have to make up. Therefore, Eagle Block cannot properly replace study hall.

Supporters of the schedule change are arguing that the elimination of study hall is necessary to comply with the Rhode Island state requirement that schools must provide at least 330 minutes of instructional time per day. However, the removal of study hall should not be a solution to this issue. This RIDE rule has been in place for many years, and BHS has maintained the study hall despite this regulation. Despite this, the school has remained one of the top, if not the best, school in terms of academic performance, based on standardized test results and college admissions. Anyways, students typically only have a study hall once every 3 days or so. That means that on most school days, we still achieve 330 minutes of instructional time. The school effectively follows the rules of RIDE, and when balanced with the heavy coursework which comes with BHS being a high-level school, maintaining study hall would be justified. A viable solution would be to slightly extend the school day. As students have study 5 of every 14 days with the current schedule, this means that 300 minutes of instructional time is lost every 14 days. 300 divided by 14 is about 21. Therefore, adding 21 minutes to the school day would successfully reach the instructional time. Simply adding 4 minutes to each period would achieve this.
One may argue that doing this would offset bus schedules. However: currently, BHS ends 10 minutes earlier than the middle school. By adding 20 minutes to the end of the day, BHS would now end 10 minutes later, meaning bus schedules would stay the same, only picking up at the middle school first. It is not a perfect solution but one that would work.

Based on a survey I conducted, BHS students have expressed the following:
70% currently feel over stressed regarding school work.
92.6% oppose the schedule change of removing study hall.
88% use study hall productively.
92% think that the removal of study hall will negatively impact their school-life balance.
97% currently like study hall.

My goal with this petition is to get the school administration, including the Superintendent, Principal, and School Committee, to review their decision and consider the needs of the students in relation to their own goals. Study hall is an important period within the school day for students, allowing them a full-length period to get work done, especially as many face time restrictions with the period in which they can complete work after school. By signing this petition, you will contribute to the effort to promote students' success and well-being.