Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) went back to school on August 1 this year, the first indication of the changes brought about by the district’s decision to adopt a year-round school calendar. For many parents, this change begs the question of whether other school districts in the state will follow suit and whether year-round schooling will soon become the norm in our state.
Our July Question of the Month asked you to share your thoughts about year-round school schedules and we found that opinions truly run the spectrum. The largest category, with over 38% of respondents, indicated support for year-round schedules and hope that the new calendar will be adopted by their local district. On the flipside, 24% of our readers said that they are against the change and would not want it in their district. The next largest category, with 18% of votes, indicated that it did not apply to their educational situation, while 6% were undecided. For those who are in the OKCPS system, 10% supported the change and 4% opposed it.
Here are some of the reasons that our readers shared for their opinions:
- I like it because now all my kids are on the same schedule and breaks are the same. Love it! so happy for it. — Candice C., Oklahoma City
- Children lose too much during the summer. — Genie R., Norman
- Continual schooling has been in place around the country for years with great retention rates. — Lynetta Z., OKC
- I don’t believe children should have school year-round. Even kids need a break from things. — Destiny M., Edmond
- Even though I’m a stay-at-home mom, I think it would help people who work with child care. — Jennifer K., Oklahoma City
- I havent decided how I feel about it — Tylar C., Yukon
- I actually work in the school system as a paraprofessional, and think it would be great for my kids. — Rebekah N., Midwest City
- I am hoping the year round school will help our students become better readers and great leaders. — Michelle T., Okc
- I am undecided. — Elizabeth S., Bethany
- I believe children would retain more knowledge and information. — Jennifer S., Yukon
- I believe that year round school will be beneficial for the children and their parents. — Regina B , Oklahoma City
- I don’t have enough info to say yes, but I think it would be very difficult for working parents. — Julie H., norman
- I don’t really know yet…want to get some feedback after a few years of use. — Jamie B., Moore
- I enjoy spending the summers with my children and the downtime from overfull, go-go-go schedule. — Bridgett K., Norman
- I feel it would benefit a child’s education to go year-round. — Shelley B., El Reno
- I just think too much is lost over the long summer vacation & that the kids will enjoy more. — Rebekah G., Bethany
- I live in a rural area outside of Oklahoma City. This does not apply to my area. — Liz S., Hobart
- I really enjoy summers as a chance to take field trips with my kids and get to know them even better. — Natalie A., Edmond
- I really look forward to summers with my family! — Tiffanie C., Mustang
- I think children need to be in year round school. The summer break is too long. — Karen P., Oklahoma City
- I think families/children need a summer break/down-time. — Faith C., Edmond
- I think having a summer vacation is good for students, teachers and faculty. — Michelle W., Oklahoma City
- I think it helps the child retain their education better, and it’s really EXACTLY the same as before. — Angi M., Oklahoma City
- I think it is great to keep the kiddos fresh on their learning all year long. — Lori M., Tuttle
- i think it will keep kids out of trouble and they will use time wisely — Jemina R., Oklahoma City
- I think it would be great for working parents but feel kids need a break too. — Charlene A., Tuttle
- I think it’s a great schedule unless you work in a different district than your kids attend school — Claret L., Midwest City
- I think it’s better to learn a little all the time than a lot part of the time. — Anna B., Woodward
- I think kids need a break in the summer for a chance to be kids. — Susan S. , Midwest City
- I think kids would benifit from it that way they will retain more over short breaks. — Hollie J., Guthrie
- I think that it will give the kids longer breaks when they are off. — Kent D., Oklahoma City
- I think the schedule that the OKC schools have adopted sounds great! — Rachel H., Choctaw
- I went to year round school and felt like I never had a summer break. Kids grow up so fast! — Heather W., Moore
- I work with a school district and would not favor such a change. — Jennifer J., Lawton
- I would hate to see a year-round schedule interfere with extracurricular summer activities. — Brigitte F., Oklahoma City
- I would like to have more time with the kids when the weather is not so hot! — Jessica S., Norman
- I;m not sure this will improve our students learning capabilities. Try more funding for schools! — Christi M., Oklahoma City
- I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. — Tracey F., Stroud
- I’m not sure yet. I would like to read more about the subject and see how it affects OKC Public Schools. — Jessie T., Moore
- It gives children less time to forget, and it has been used in other countries for years. — Lori G., Oklahoma City
- It is not currently in my district but I have no preference and will work with it either way. — Stacie A., Norman
- Kids lose so much in the summer. — Elizabeth H., Del City
- Like the idea! — Ryan E , Midwest City
- Makes daycare much harder! — Jacqueline F., Oklahoma City
- Most kids get bored when they run out of things to do. I think it is a good idea. — Amanda H., Yukon
- My children are not school age and will not be attending public school when they are school age. — Jennifer S., Oklahoma City
- My custody schedule of my son would change considerably if Norman got year-round schooling. — Breea B., Norman
- My kids go to private school — Lisa L., Edmond
- My son needs the help all year long. During the summer he forgets all that he learned. — Julie B., Moore
- I think it’s a great thing! — Linda S., Oklahoma City
- Noncustodial parents will lose out on time with their kids & visitation orders will have to change — Jen W., Tecumseh
- The children need the continuity. — Shari C., Oklahoma City
- The start date is August 1st and that’s too early since its so hot, this year is too soon. — Daneka A., Edmond
- The summer already goes by too fast! I think more frequent shorter breaks would be more of a disruption. — Rhonda M., Mustang
- The summer is long. Kids are bored by mid July. Kids are so ready for a break at the end of the school. — Charlotte H., Edmond
- We came from over seas where they have year round school and the children focus better and learn more. — Marie K., Tinker AFB
- We enjoy a summer trip every year to visit family on the east coast. This would kill our yearly summer trip. — Amanda T., Midwest City
- We like our summers! — Moriah K., Oklahoma City
- We need more education in Oklahoma. — Barbara T., Blanchard
- We need to let kids be kids! — Deanna A., El Reno
- Year-round school will disrupt our shared parenting agreement! — Leslie Q., Norman
To answer August’s Question of the Month, enter our August Giveaway!
