Schools

How Will Dobbs Ferry's Early Dismissals Affect Your Family?

All students, except those in kindergarten, will be dismissed an hour early on Wednesdays this year.

In accordance with the recently-adopted teachers contract, most Dobbs Ferry Union Free School District students will have one less hour of school a week, beginning in September.

The contract called for one-hour early dismissals on Wednesdays to allow teachers more time without students in the classrooms.

Kindergartners are exempt from the new policy.

In a letter to parents (attached as a .pdf), Superintendent Lisa Brady addressed the change.

"We recognize that this change on Wednesdays will present logistical challenges for many parents, especially for those with children at Springhurst," she wrote, adding later she "truly" believes "that it is the right thing to do at this point in time to ensure better outcomes for our children."

According to Brady, the measure was taken to allow teachers to take part in "comprehensive professional development activities, longer after-school faculty meetings and longer blocks of time for reachers to work together."

Currently, the Dobbs Ferry district as "a longer instructional day than most other districts in Westchester," while nearby Ardsley has been utilizing a similar schedule "for the last 10 years."

This month, Brady noted the district will be forming committees "to review the current parent-teacher conference construct" and "to begin looking at revising the schedule in the Middle School and High School to benefit student learning and more effectively utilize instructional time."

What do you think of the scheduling change? How will it affect your family in September? Share in the comments below.


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