Four-day schedule proposed for four Campbell Co. schools

GILLETTE (WNE) — Campbell County School District trustees have approved a proposal to adopt a four-day week next school year in Wright and at two rural county schools.

The measure was first brought to the school board in October at a meeting in Wright. The next step will be to seek approval from the Wyoming State Board of Education.

Cottonwood Elementary in Wright and Wright Junior-Senior High School will each adopt a four-day school week, along with Recluse School north of Gillette and 4-J School south of Gillette.

All four school principals were at Tuesday night’s meeting to speak in favor of the plan because of the number of students absent on Fridays because of sports, activities and family commitments.

While board chairwoman Anne Ochs said the move would “benefit the rural schools where kids miss a lot of seat time” on Fridays, she worried about students waiting in the dark for buses to pick them up or drop them off and how safe that is.

“If we’re moving the pick-up time half an hour earlier. How dark will it be?” she asked. Recluse students, for instance, would be picked up 15 minutes earlier.

“I’m more worried about darkness when some kids will travel 45 miles or longer getting to school or home,” she said.

Trustees then voted unanimously to approve the proposal.

If approved by the state board, the schools will have to have their four-day school week schedules approved annually by state officials and show community support.