Spokane Public Schools announced Wednesday that elementary schools will have early release on Fridays starting with the 2019-2020 school year.
The announcement left many parents concerned about how to combine their work schedules with picking up their children from school.
Friday school days would end at 1:45 p.m. instead of 3:00 p.m. as in previous years.
Several parents commented on a KREM 2 Facebook post asking what they thought about the change.
April LaMont said she has two children in elementary school.
“My first thought was, ‘Well, now what do we do?’ I wish I had the ability to stay at home, but parents just have to work,” she said.
The district said there will be after school programs on 20 Fridays throughout the year. Parents will have to secure childcare options for the remaining 12.
“When I am working, what am I going to do with the other kids for a whole hour before the kids get out of school,” LaMont said.
The early release applies only to students, not teachers.
Brian Coddington, spokesperson for the district, said the decision came from wanting to give teachers consistent, dedicated time during their work day to plan and prepare for classes.
“I mean, it makes sense for the teachers, but now it’s gone from a problem for the school district to being a problem for the parents,” LaMont said. “We’re just going to have to figure out how all of this is going to work.”