Comfort adopts hybrid 4-day school week

Students and staff in Comfort wrapped up week one of the new school year Friday, operating under a new calendar where the district closes on Fridays from September through March, with alternating Fridays set up to serve as academic intervention days.

Students will obviously enjoy the short school week — but teachers are loving it even more.

Dr. Elizabeth Boothe, district director of academic services, explained the hybrid “intervention calendar,” where some weeks will be five days while others will be just four.

Aug. 4 was the first day of classes in the Comfort ISD. The “Intervention Friday” plan is designed to bring in students who are struggling in a subject or need an academic boost to keep up in class.

“We have a hard time getting students to stay after school for academic help,” Boothe said. “Bus transportation is an issue, as is after-school care.”

The switch begins Friday, Sept. 12, the first four-day week on the calendar. Sept. 19 presents the first Intervention Friday, when students who are experiencing issues in studies after the first six weeks will come in and attend class.

Students coping or excelling in their coursework “will get the day off,” Boothe said. “There will be some Fridays where everybody gets the day off.”

The calendar shows two Intervention Fridays every month, from October through March.

Boothe said school officials are talking to other superintendents whose districts have adopted a four-day week.

“I don’t know if there are any others on the hybrid schedule we are on,” she said. “We’re definitely ready to look at the data to see how it affects scores.”

While the district will have to wait to see how the Fridays-off policy affects student attendance and test scores, one aspect is very clear: Teachers love it.

“It’s definitely a recruiting tool, the staff loves that,” she said. “We filled all our vacancies. We’re staffed at 100%.”

Intervention Fridays will be an 8 a.m.-to-1:30 p.m. day. The district will provide lunch as normal, and open the doors to students who are off that day as well.

“Any child can come and get lunch that day, whether they are attending intervention or not. We’re not going to turn anybody away,” she added.