DEARBORN, Mich. – Dearborn Public Schools released a tentative calendar for the upcoming school year with a major change last week.
Now some parents are scrambling to make childcare arrangements.
“In this economy, everybody has to work two to three jobs, and there is nobody to pick up the kids,” said parent Amy Macey.
This upcoming school year, the district will have early release on Tuesdays, which means the school day will be cut by an hour and a half.
The district said teachers will use the time to develop strategies to improve student achievement.
“Making every Tuesday an early release, I don’t think that is a very good idea because that’s just going to stress the parents out more,” said student Alessa Macey.
Usually, a tentative school calendar is released seven months before the start of a new school year to give families time to plan.
But district officials said bargaining with the teachers’ union delayed that. And they understand the challenges that families are now facing.
The Macey family is concerned about how the change could impact students involved in clubs or sports.
“If they do have sports and they get out early, they have to return back to school for their practice or game,” said Amy Macey.
District officials said the district is considering delaying early release Tuesdays until October to give families more time to plan.
District officials said they are also discussing having an extended day option for parents who cannot pick up their children on early release days.
