Update: As of July 31st, I contacted Marguerite Herman to inquire more information on how the proposed 4X4 schedule will address Covid-19 and keep students safe. She stated that the 4x4 plan will "reduce long term exposure time" and allow the district to be able to have an easier transition to online school in the event that the district needs to shut down. The rationale is that students are only receiving long term contact through four different classes within a semester rather than eight. If the district needs to shut down schools, then students are transitioning to four versus eight. However, the district has still not addressed student stress, retention, or any extracurriculars, AP or IB, or progress to help struggling students.

As of July 29th, 2020, the Laramie County School District #1 (LCSD1) of Wyoming has moved ahead with a plan to reopen schools for the regular school year. In the process of reopening, the secondary schools were given a proposed change to a "four-by-four schedule", in which four classes of the standard eight-class schedule are taken in the first semester, and the second four classes are taken in the second semester. This decision was made with minimal consultation of parents, teachers, and students within the district and will maintain the same number of students within the building.

By placing classes as one semester or another, the district is undermining student success. Classes that are normally a year long are compressed to half of the time, including music, foreign language, and other elective courses. AP, honors, IB, and other college-prep classes face the same compression. The district solution to this problem is to have students review at their own time and gather teacher assistance after regular school hours in order to be ready for the 2021-2022 school year. 

This places double the workload on students. Students who play sports and other after-school extracurriculars will not have time to review previous semester work, and the review resources that the district is recommending are not free. This, combined with the double workload, puts low-income students who need to work, students that support their families on farms and ranch land, and students who do not have access to technology at risk for falling behind. Students who struggle academically are suddenly faced with a year long class condensed down to a few months, with a mimimall support system behind them. College prep classes, such as AP or IB, face an end of the year cumulative exam that can give college credit, and by removing a semester of study, the district is drastically decreasing success within these higher level classes. The push for outside help also places stress on teachers, who now have to teach one semester and review another at the same time.

LCSD1, by moving forward with this plan, is placing students in a position where they are receiving only half a year content, and is making education inaccessible to all students, as well as disproportionately affecting at-risk families. This is an ethically and morally compromised decision that will adversely effect students, without increased safety and protection from Covid-19. Please sign this petition to have LCSD1 reconsider their plan and make education accessible even through a pandemic.