In a decisive move Tuesday night, the Portland Public Schools Board passed a resolution 5-1, strategizing how to recover lost instructional time due to severe winter weather. Initially proposing to trim recess for kindergarteners, the resolution was amended after a vocal pushback, retaining the crucial playtime for the district's youngest learners, as reported by KATU News.
Under Oregon law, the school district must ensure a specified amount of instructional time across different grade levels, a mandate the inclement weather jeopardized. The plan needed to quickly adapt to make up for hours lost, including making SAT day a full day for high school seniors and asking the Oregon Department of Education to waive some missed hours due to school closures, according to KGW News. High school seniors were notably short by 24 hours, a gap the revised plan aims to address without compromising the essentials of a balanced education.
Contentious discussions centered around the importance of recess to a child's development led to the board's resolution amendment. Board member Andrew Scott, influenced by his mother’s legacy as a preschool and kindergarten teacher, weighed in heavily on the side of preserving recess. "My mom was a preschool and kindergarten teacher, and you know, play is so essential to their overall learning," Scott told KGW News. His perspective prevailed, reflecting a prevailing thought that the physical and social aspects of play are as vital to children's growth as academic instruction.
Additionally, the PPS board has approved a measure to leverage staff professional development exemption to further count towards the minimum hours for seniors at Jefferson and McDaniel High Schools. This decision demonstrates the board's commitment to finding alternative pathways to satisfy state requirements while also emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive educational experience. "I actually would be in favor of us straight up violating the Division 22 guidelines this year, and saying, 'You know what? It is more important for our kindergarteners to get the additional 15 minutes of recess than to meet those minimum standards that the state sets,'" Scott expressed in the discussions leading to the amendment, as reported to KGW News.
