POST FALLS, Idaho — Post Falls School District is heading back to school on Tuesday, but this year will be a little bit different for everyone. The 2023 school year will be the first one where students will go to school for only four days a week.
KREM 2’s Nicole Hernandez sat down with Amanda Slichter, a mother of five, three of which are in school, and talked about how excited she is for the four-day school week.
Slichter said, “They’re kids and they shouldn’t have to basically work a full time job going to school. It is so important for them to have that play time and that time to grow as kids and learn who they are.”
Students will be in school from Monday through Thursday. When there is a holiday on Monday, they will go through Tuesday through Friday. Each school day will be 25-45 minutes longer depending on the grade level.
According to our partners at the Coeur d’Alene Press, 80 other school districts in Idaho use the four-day school week. Those districts say they have had less students getting in trouble and less absences.
As for childcare on Friday for working parents, Post Falls School District partnered with the Boys and Girls Club to provide food and childcare on the fifth day.
A big reason the district decided to change over was for employee retention and recruitment. They say having one less day per week will help them compete with some of the salaries the schools in Washington can offer.
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