Parents of Clayton County Schools students criticized the school district's minimum day release plan at one of nine school forums Tuesday night.
Every high school hosted a forum at 6 pm to discuss Superintendent Edmond Heatley's plan to dismiss students every Wednesday as much as 90 minutes early. The plan would give teachers time to train for teaching common core educational curriculum, which is set to take effect in the 2014-2015 school year.
But parents at Lovejoy High School said the plan was announced too late in the school year, deprives students of needed instructional time, and creates a burden on working parents who cannot afford daycare for students returning home early.
"I have no problem with the standards or the training for teachers," said Andrea DeSilva, mother of a student at River's Edge Elementary School. "The issue is, why are you going to take away from the [education of] children to add to an adult?"
District officials took questions about the plan, all of which were critical or outright hostile. The district says it will consider the parental input. The school board is also considering whether it has the legal authority to block the plan.
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