Dive Brief:
- The student and teacher protests in Colorado's Jefferson County School District may have larger repercussions than lost classtime, as students allegedly plan to walk out on Wednesday — Colorado's "Count Day".
- Count Day largely affects a school's budget, as it is the day school districts tally up the number of students in attendance and calculate the per-student funding they will receive from the state.
- Students began the walk-outs last week in protest of a school board proposal that would narrow history instruction to themes centered around citizenship, patriotism, and respect for authority.
Dive Insight:
While students believe the Count Day walk-out will draw attention to their cause, they may not be fully comprehending the bigger implications. "October 1 will be a big day, it really will. If a thousand of us step out, even 10,000, if we can get that many students to step out, then we're getting their attention and telling them that we have a voice," Columbine High School student Jordan Gleason told KUSA.
While the students are clearly not getting the bigger picture about October 1st, the administrators also probably don't need to worry too much just yet. Schools have 10 days to prove a student attends that school. So as long as students show up after the walk-out, it should be OK.
Perhaps now would be a good time for the school board to reconsider the history curriculum and also the teacher pay scales, since the protests are reportedly two-pronged. Students and teachers are protesting the history curriculum, while teachers are also pushing back against a new pay scale that awards bonuses based on teacher evaluations.