Many school districts across the country have implemented a year-round schedule for learning. Just the phrase ‘year-round’ is not attractive to students who have otherwise had the typical school schedule. Let’s be honest, who really wants school all year? It is true that schools with a year-round schedule will typically have the same number of days off as a traditional schedule, but in smaller breaks that are more frequent. A large issue with year-round schooling is that students who haven’t adapted or grown accustomed to this schedule may have difficulty when a district decides to change their program. 

In the 1990s, Chesterfield County, Virginia tried a year-round school schedule. However the district phased out this system after only a few years. Some studies indicated that there was a decrease of test scores resulting from learning getting interrupted with the short breaks, making it difficult for students to retain information and learn continuously.

Talk about burnout! Not only is the transition from traditional to year-round school a nuisance, but these students will never have the freedom to relax on a warm summer day knowing they won’t have to worry about school for another two months. Breaks are meant for students to relax. During these short breaks, students will either spend their vacation studying in order to retain information for when break is over, or they will simply not bother to study and fall behind. That doesn’t sound like much of a break. Year-round school has got to go, and should never be an option. These students deserve that 3 month break between grade years.

For Mount Vernon specifically, it would not be ideal. Many and most students have jobs in the summertime, it’s a way to build responsibility and partake in work that isn’t curricular. Some students go out of their way to sign up for classes outside of school, others spend time volunteering, and so much more that summer break is almost required to make work.