Forty-five minute class periods, five-minute passing periods and a way to build anxiety over the weekend. The reinstated C day policy is not benefiting students in the way the district thought it would for a multitude of reasons.

The conversation on whether or not we should go back to a schedule similar to the 2021-22 school year should begin because of the lack of productivity and meaningful student-teacher engagement.

C days operate on a bell schedule with 45-minute class periods and five-minute passing periods, half the length of passing periods on A and B days. If a student has a class across the building, it’s a struggle to be on time to class and the hallways are just as congested as A and B days.

Coppell ISD decided to reinstate C days as a way for students to catch up on work. Coppell High School Principal Laura Springer confirmed when asked that teachers are not supposed to administer tests or quizzes and not introduce new content. Their primary function is “remediation and review.” This raises a problem for many students that are taking higher level AP, IB or honors classes.

“Teachers end up planning too much or too little material on C days and then we have to make that work up on the weekend. Class periods are too short to do anything,” Coppell High School sophomore Jackson Chen said. “I end up getting more homework from every class.”

AP and IB classes can’t afford to slow down on C days as they are designed with a college-level curriculum. These teachers lose valuable time to further teach high-level material in class and students are forced to play catch-up on new concepts, adding to stress. 

“Some teachers try to cram lessons in and it’s not helpful,” CHS sophomore Oorja Agarwal said. “Not every teacher can stick to all the restrictions and then students are left confused because we don’t get enough time to absorb the material. If a teacher is behind schedule, then C days aren’t review days anymore.”

The district had a certain idea of how C days would function but in some cases, the plan isn’t being followed exactly as there are still teachers who give out new content and quizzes because it’s not possible for them to lose an entire class period and still have successful students.

Then, C days don’t stay C days anymore, and the shorter class period becomes a hindrance when teachers try to use it like a normal 90-minute class block.

“AP and honors classes require much more time and effort, and the workload becomes a problem over the weekend because we don’t get constructive time on Fridays,” Agarwal said. 

Burnout is a real issue when it comes to a multitude of difficult classes that need assignments and lessons, all of which get piled on to the weekend. Not to mention all the different types of classes you end up attending on C days. 

“C days feel a lot more tiring because I have to go to every class and get work from a wide variety of subjects,” CHS junior Chloe Kryzak said. “Honestly, they feel much longer, too.”

Many students share the sentiment of being “bounced around” from place to place and not being able to settle in to do any real review work. It creates a situation where every teacher has the chance to assign you homework before the weekend, especially since they don’t have adequate class time to cover content. Eight classes crammed into one day with the potential of being assigned homework in each class is rigorous especially for students who have packed schedules outside of school. 

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