Several students at Pine Bluff High School protested Tuesday what they say is a new semester exam schedule that keeps them in school instead of allowing them to leave early in the afternoon during exam week as in years past.
“I am a senior and every year that I have been a student here the schedule for semester exams was that we would take our first test then have about an hour and a half to study or get something to eat, then come back and take the second test, and then get out for the day at around 1:15,” said Pine Bluff High School student Patrick Grady. “We were just told in first period today that we will have to stay in class until the regular end of the school day at 3:20 during exam week and the first day of exams is tomorrow.”
One student displayed a message written on a piece of paper that said “I Need a Rest Before the Test Why Did PBH start this mess!?! #Protest”on one side and “What I Suggest; Change the schedule for Semester Test!!!!” on the other.
Pine Bluff Superintendent Jerry Payne explained the full day schedule for exam week by pointing to section 10.01.4 of the Arkansas Department of Education Rules and Regulations Governing Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools. It states that “the planned instructional time in each school day shall not average less than six (6) hours per day or thirty (30) hours per week.”
“We are required to have a school day that is six hours long excluding lunch periods,” Payne said. “We are governed by a state standard that planned instruction time per school day cannot be less than six hours. This requirement doesn’t exempt semester finals week. Our school calendar is right at the minimum number of 178 days in the school year and so we cannot take away any instructional time unless you want to go additional days to make the time up.”
“I will speak to principal Robert Handley as well as teachers and staff at the high school to make sure that everyone understands what the state requirements are and I’m sure that we will then be able to move forward,” Payne said.