The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District has decided that the students' new schedule will include 70-minute classes with no lunch or snack breaks. In the current academic year, more students have been struggling with a multitude of issues, but, most prominently, their mental health and overall motivation. This schedule, as-is, will not only increase academic stress, but will also increase the amount of stress in students' everyday personal lives.

A lunch break is very necessary for students to interact with their classmates and to eat, especially since a majority of students skip breakfast. Our district emphasizes school spirit and socializing, but this schedule seems to directly oppose it. With COVID-19's prominence in our state, masks should and will be mandatory. However, in this new schedule, there is not a time or plan for students to snack safely. Already, the students have been partaking in exhaustingly long 60-minute classes (virtually). Although the new schedule highlights the safety aspects and ensures limiting possible exposure, it takes away from the crucial social aspect of a student's career. This leaves already rushed students with limited time to eat. Before, these classes were regularly 45 minutes long. Changing it to 70 will decrease the focus and motivation for the students in their classes.

The disruptive and constantly changing schedule has been claimed to help students and alleviate the stress of their daily lives, but this proposed schedule seems to do the opposite. Although we appreciate the idea and support a return to in-person learning, we feel that there could be a better way to execute a plan that better benefits the students. We believe there should be a lunch break or, at least, a snack break put into the schedule. We also are promoting a schedule more similar to the previous 45 minute class schedule, having us attend all of our classes on a given day instead of longer classes with an additional hour of asynchronous work upon arriving home (which does not include additional homework time).

Both of these changes will help students feel more motivated by being able to socialize with their friends safely and in-person, encouraged to succeed, and energized to be active participants in their education.