Surprise hit students all across AAPS as they returned to school in late August. Something strange was missing from their academic calendars: the early release days that many loved and were used to.

Toward the end of June, the school board and teachers union discussed and agreed to no longer incorporate half days into both AAPS attending students’ and teachers’ schedules. Instead, half days have been replaced with less frequent full days off. 

The main reason for this change was related to parents not being able to find after-school care for their children on half days. “I believe that especially at the elementary level,” says Elmore, “It was a hardship on parents to try and find childcare for the half days.” 

This change was not a wider community decision but rather limited to AAPS staff and the board. “This was just between the district and the teachers’ union,” says Elmore.

There was no student or parent input on this change. “I didn’t see anything related to informing us about the removal of half days,” says Dion Hunt (‘27). “I also wish they had included students in this decision because I feel the end decision would have been a lot different compared to now because students would have.” 

Although it may seem like a quiet and small change over the summer, some students don’t agree with the removal. “I liked that students had the opportunity to kick back and relax every once in a while and just take a small break from school,” says Deari Randall (‘27). 

Some students may mistakenly believe that the removal of half days automatically means more hours in school. “It could possibly mean more hours in school,” said Issac Zuniga (‘27). Whether there are half days or not, the overall time that AAPS students stay in school remains the same. 

During half days, the school day is shorter than usual, and students are released early. Because of this, many high school students choose to stay home instead of attending, even though school is technically in session. “Normally it’s roughly like 200, maybe 225 absences, it [was] about 150 more students absences on halfdays,” says attendance manager Danielle Sims. 

Some say that most times it would just end up being an individual study day. This made it easier and more convenient for students to stay home and study instead of going to classes for half the normal time.

“I feel half days were like mini breaks, giving students frequent time to breathe in between busy school schedules,” says Logan Gosline (‘27). “Now that they’re gone, school feels a lot stricter, and I don’t have that same level of comfort as before.”