School Board discusses 4-day week, outdoor learning

As Minnesota legislators consider lowering barriers for districts that wish to implement a four-day school week, Owatonna Public Schools is one of many districts in the state eying the possibility.

Under current state law, districts must receive approval from the education commissioner to implement a four-day work week. Several districts in Minnesota already have.

However, HF1242, a bill introduced into the House last year, would remove that requirement, leaving the decision up to local school boards.

Speaking at the Monday evening work session of the Owatonna School Board, Superintendent Jeff Elstad revealed the district has begun exploring the possibility of a four-day week.

"We’re starting to look at some research around a four-day week. I know for some that’s a really scary topic because it’s a departure from the norm," said Elstad.

Elstad said some districts have approached the possibility as a cost saving measure, but he's not convinced it would result in a substantial savings. Instead, he expressed concern that students today are over-scheduled with the amount of activities and commitments on their plates. Student school board representatives Jace Forcelle and Erin Baker backed up his assessment.

"Throughout the years, I’ve only noticed high school schedules, particularly upperclassmen schedules, becoming more intense, rigorous, time consuming," said Forcelle.

Baker noted the value of flex days, which the district implemented during COVID restrictions, which freed up students schedules but left the option for additional class time for the students that needed it.

Vice Chair Lori Weisenburger called four-day school weeks an "interesting topic."

"We’ll look forward to your report on that," she told Elstad.

Elstad also discussed the formation of a new District Innovation and Evaluation Team, or DIET, to examine the latest research. He stressed that innovation was not a matter of just implementing new technology, but rather new ideas.

Earlier in the session, Owatonna Middle School Principal Christina Mattson reported on her first year at the school, touching on some of the ideas she's interested in exploring based on her time teaching in Norway.

Mattson's presentation referenced the importance of play in kids' development, prompting Board Chair Mark Sebring to ask what forms of play aren't being practiced in Owatonna but could be in the future.

Mattson said her time in Norway introduced her to a different model of education, where kids were required to have an hour of free play outside every day regardless of weather. Rather than spending that period inside on rainy or snowy days, kids would dress appropriately and explore the outdoors anyway. Mattson said free play, where kids' activities are not being micromanaged by adults, gives them the opportunity to practice conflict resolution on their own.

"A lot of us talk or think about the good old days when kids would get off on their bikes and go around with their peers until dinner time. Think about the incidences of true mental health crises that we did not have as prevalent as we do now. Think about the opportunities to be off and away from their phones and that social media pull that’s like a drug to their brains," said Mattson.

Mattson said students, many boys in particular, need more opportunity for physical activity than modern education affords, and that everyone can benefit from being less "tied to computers."

Elstad said Mattson was "well-read" in educational research, often bringing fresh information to his attention.

"Christina brings a different perspective to our team, and I appreciate the conversations that we’ve had about the very topic and how passionate she is about thinking out of the box," said Elstad.