Extended Learning Time or ELT was introduced to students and staff as something new that will be implemented into the bell schedule. It is supposed to be a time for students to be able to catch up on work, meet with their clubs, or retake a test. The Extended Learning Time schedule was made to be flexible, however, with this flexibility, it also seems to be causing some confusion within the students. 

When the district still had late starts built in, every student knew when we would have them. The late start calendar was posted at the beginning of the school year. Extended Learning time on the other hand, was made to be used “as needed” instead of on a consistent basis. Administration has said that ELT will happen generally on a five-day-week; however, there are some weeks that may not have them. This broad description leads to confusion. If a student is expecting to use ELT to work on homework or finish an assignment, not having it on a set schedule can make this complicated. 

Another issue that arises when ELT is not on a consistent schedule is that clubs do not get to meet weekly. For example, Student Council is a club that needs to meet weekly to plan Homecoming, Winterfest and other events throughout the year. Without ELT being every week, sometimes Student Council will have to meet during homeroom time. Other clubs like Key Club and FFA also have regular activities that they need to plan throughout the year. This inconsistency makes it harder for members to know when a meeting is taking place. Members may miss meetings, which makes it more difficult to get things done within the council.

In order to fix these inconsistencies with ELT, a set schedule should be made. Every school week that has five days in it should be a designated ELT week. If a week does not have five days in it, then ELT will not be held that week. This schedule will provide some consistency for students and teachers.