Dist. 41 schedule changes draw ire of parents

Parents in Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 are upset about scheduling changes that went live this week in the district's four elementary schools.

Speaking before the school board on the first day of classes, parents said they were concerned that the time set aside for lunch and recess was whittled down to 45 minutes total.

But district officials say it's an issue of semantics. They say the time allotted doesn't include the 5 to 10 additional minutes it takes to transition students to and from the playground and lunchroom to their classes.

"The amount of time is the same, but the way it was presented in writing created confusion," board President Erica Nelson said Wednesday.

"My second-grader didn't have time to eat," dad Larry Chay told the school board Monday.

"This is not teaching them good eating habits," said mom Alicia Hopper, who added kids have to "gobble" down their food.

Superintendent Paul Gordon and Assistant Superintendent Karen Carlson wrote a letter to parents Wednesday about the school day, which is 35 minutes longer than last year.

"We believe that the majority of our students will have enough time to eat their lunch and have recess," the letter said. "Principals will work with lunch supervisors to make sure students have enough time to finish their lunch. If you notice your child is coming home with a lot of their lunch left, please notify your building principal."

Last year, the schedule allotted 50 minutes - but that includes lunch, recess and transition time built in, a district spokeswoman said.

"I think the challenge is that the way information was presented created confusion or concern," Nelson said. "That needs to be improved upon."

Last February, the district announced it was negotiating the longer day with its teachers union but didn't provide specifics at the time until March, officials said, because of ongoing talks. Last year, elementary students were in classes from 9 a.m. to 3:25 p.m.

Now, students start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m.

The longer day is designed to give students more instruction in their core subjects and give teachers more time for planning. It also aligns the school day with that of Hadley Junior High, Nelson said.

Board member Stephanie Clark, seated in May, said the district should have done more to communicate the changes.

"Instead, I feel like we say nothing or we wait until the 11th-hour, which just creates anxiety with our customer, the parents, the teachers the kids," she said.

In fourth and fifth grades, one new class, Spanish Language and Cultures, that meets once a week also drew complaints from parents.

Teachers speak entirely in Spanish in front of students, some of whom haven't spoken the language. On Wednesday, the letter said the goal is to introduce students to the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries and to develop "basic oral and written communication skills in Spanish."

"Spanish teachers use visual cues, manipulatives, and hands-on learning strategies to make the content comprehensible and to help support student learning and acquisition of the Spanish language," the letter said.