JENKS, Okla. — Jenks Public Schools will have some schedule changes come next school year.
Diona Givens has lived in her Jenks home for 20 years. Her kids went to Jenks Schools and now she drops off and picks up her grandkids.
They’ll be impacted by the new early release times.
WATCH: Changes approved for Jenks Public Schools 26-27 schedule
“I just feel like they need those little breaks,” said Diona Givens.
Elementary and Intermediate students will dismiss an hour and 15 minutes early every Friday of a full, 5-day week.
“Let them be kids,” said Diona Givens. “We all need these mental breaks. There’s a lot pushed on them in the classroom today to learn and they also need the breaks that we need.”
The goal is to give teachers collaboration time. The district says with lawmakers taking away virtual learning days, it’s something they had to build into the schedule in a different way.
“Looking at student assessments,” said Suzanne Lair. “Talking about what’s working in the classroom. Talking about what we need to do when things are not working well.”
Suzanne Lair, Assistant Superintendent for Education Services, said while early release worked for the younger grades, about 25% of secondary teachers have after school commitments like extracurriculars and sports. They needed a different solution there.
That’s where they decided on block scheduling. Here’s an example.
“There’s ample opportunity for teachers to be able to really plan robust learning opportunities for our students and we think all of our kids will benefit,” said Lair.
Instead of 6 shorter classes every day, students in 7th through 12th grade will have 89 minutes classes for a 7-period schedule. It’ll add an extra elective for them.
“We’re so happy to be able to provide more opportunities and more choices for students,” said Lair.
Givens says she likes those changes too.
“I wouldn’t want to sit in the same class every single day,” said Givens. “I think a little diversity in your days is nice.”
The new schedule starts in the fall of 2026.
For more information on the early release and block scheduling, click here.
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