CROTHERSVILLE — The Indiana State Board of Education has denied Crothersville Community Schools a waiver that would have allowed for the implementation of a four-day school week this coming school year.

The proposed program called “Four Plus One Extended” was set up to use Monday through Thursday as instructional time, while Friday was an opportunity for students from kindergarten through 12th grade to receive extra help and learn skills outside of the classroom.

Early on, Superintendent Chrystal Street said the state has been asking school corporations to re-imagine learning but it doesn’t tell them what that should be like.

The four-day school week was a way for Crothersville to re-imagine learning with more instructional time beyond the state’s minimum requirement, she said. The school day would have been 50 minutes longer if the four-day school week had been implemented.

Also if implemented, Fridays for the school corporation would have had the bus drivers run their normal routes to be able to take kids to school. Staff also would have rotated between the Fridays that they work while keeping the teaching contracts for the same amount of time that they would during a traditional five-day school week.

The optional day also was presented as an opportunity for the high school students to work, work on their college courses for the academy and do internships to allow them to work toward their career goals. Street also had looked into options for a grant to be able to provide students with lunch on Fridays, she said.

The board of trustees held at least five public meetings for parents and community members to address concerns about the changes to the school week before agreeing to seek a waiver state during a board meeting in March.

Concerns about the longer school day and other issues were raised during the meetings but after listening to presentations and having their questions answered, the change to the school week was welcomed by many in the community with support.

Though the original idea came from Street, it was the community that helped her make it better because of the questions and concerns that the public had, she said.

The state denied the waiver because there is one school, Vinton Elementary in West Lafayette, piloting the four-day school week, Street said.

Vinton Elementary charges $25 for the local YMCA to have childcare services, but Crothersville would have offered it for free for the students to attend on Fridays.

While Crothersville Community Schools officials are disappointed by the decision from the state to deny the waiver, there are plans to apply for the waiver again for the 2026-2027 school year, Street said.
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