By Vy Nguyen
At the teachers’ staff meeting on Monday, Oct. 3, Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) teachers discussed removing breaks from the Monday modified schedule. One of the top issues brought up was how the current late-start schedule caused rushed turnaround times for cafeteria staff to serve food.
Under Monday’s existing schedule, students begin their school day attending their first to second periods, with the end of second period dedicated to Barons All Together (BAT) time. Afterwards, students have break for 10 minutes, where several students choose to grab a snack at the lunch lines. Between serving at break time and lunch on Mondays, with one period in between, cafeteria staff have less than one hour to prepare for meals at lunch.
“When we developed the schedule for [late-start] Mondays… students can get breakfast all the way up to 9:37 [a.m.],” FVHS Principal Paul Lopez said. “But then we also have a break and one class before lunch, [making] the turnaround from break to lunch near impossible.”
Monday’s modified schedule is new for students and staff alike, with FVHS’ traditional bell schedule having undergone dramatic changes this year due to California’s Senate Bill 328 (SB 328). The state law enforces that all high schools in California begin at 8:30 a.m., with the count of required instructional minutes starting from this time only.
With FVHS’ modified schedule, most students arrive before 9:37 a.m. for their first period, but breakfast opens before zero period. Each class is 44 minutes. And when including passing periods of about 8 minutes, the gap between break time and lunch for cafeteria staff is only 52 minutes.
Several teachers also stated that the break holds no instructional value. Unlike BAT Time, which is considered attached to second period, break does not count towards FVHS’ requirement of 240 minutes per school day.
Instead of having a break after BAT Time, students could instead leave around 10 minutes earlier from school, which is what some teachers proposed. Many stated that having 10 extra minutes could make a difference for student athletes with after school practices or games, students with extracurricular activities or anyone who simply wants to have a slightly shorter school day.
From an instructional perspective, the break is not necessary for instructional minutes nor is it convenient for cafeteria serving times. However, Lopez acknowledges that many students enjoy break time, as it is one of the few times students can unwind during the day before continuing with their classes. With many factors to consider before modifying Monday’s schedule, Lopez urges for student input to ensure a more representative outcome for Monday’s schedule.
“You have to advocate with your teachers [and] tell them what you want, [whether] you want a break or not want a break,” Lopez said. “Student voice is important too and I think we leave that out sometimes, especially with a bell schedule.”
The idea to remove break was further discussed on Tuesday, Oct. 11 by the Bell Schedule Committee, a group of teachers at FVHS that direct the process for determining the school’s schedule. Yet, the teachers’ union contract prevents staff from implementing any changes right away. Nothing is final for now, but teachers and staff have expressed one thing: the modified schedule has caused major complaints that they will continue to look into.
“No matter what bell schedule we do, we’re starting a half hour later but getting out an hour later,” Lopez said. “So anytime we can end a bit earlier, I think, is better for students and staff, because [this schedule] has pushed everybody’s day back.”
