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BUCHANAN – Buchanan Community Schools families recently learned of a few changes impacting all schools in the district in the fall.

Superintendent Patricia Robinson said that Buchanan High School has been releasing early on Wednesdays for a number of years, and now that practice will apply across all schools in the district. Students will be released from all schools in the district 25 minutes earlier than the usual time.

“We are moving forward with this change because it provides consistency throughout the district and gives our teachers time to focus on our professional learning communities to address the unique needs of our students,” Robinson wrote in a letter to parents.

The time will give educators time to make adjustments as teams for students’ needs.

“The main purpose is to meet in grade-level teams, or by department or subject level,” Robinson said. “It’s a mix of focusing on what we’re focusing on for the month or week. It’s really team time to collaborate, look at data and see where we need to make adjustments.”

The communication came on Wednesday and included an announcement of additional half days to be added to the academic calendar, averaging one to two half-days every month. The days will mainly be planned for Wednesdays.

Robinson said there would be some professional development and learning for educators and staff throughout the district during those times.

“What I saw happen this year, there were days where the middle and high school would have half days for training, and the elementary schools were either in parent-teacher conferences or in school for the full day,” she said. “It wasn’t common across the district, and it was kind of broken up.”

This way, all educators will be able to plan for additional development time, she said.

“Our staff are lifelong learners and these additional professional development days will support our teachers in their professional growth and collaboration across the district,” Robinson said in the letter.

The letter also announced spring break 2022 would occur between March 21 and March 25.

“Normally, you would receive this information in our annual Buck Bulletin, however, due to the potential impact these changes may have for you and your family, I wanted to share this information sooner,” Robinson’s letter said.

Buchanan High School seniors graduate Friday, and the school year winds to a close for other students on June 16.