Pasco County Schools will host information nights for parents at Lacoochee, Cox and Gulfside elementary schools over the next few days, to share details on how the extended school day is going to work.
The sessions are scheduled for Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. at Lacoochee Elementary School, 38815 Cummer Road, in Dade City, and at Cox Elementary School Aug. 11 at 6 p.m., at 37615 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., in Dade City.
The Gulfside Elementary School session is scheduled for Aug. 7 and Aug. 7 at 6 p.m., first at the school at 2329 Anclote Blvd., in Holiday, and then at Weston Oaks Apartments the second night at 1251 Weston Oaks Drive in Holiday.
The schools are required by the state to add an hour of reading instruction to their school day for fourth- and fifth-graders after it finished among the lowest 300 performing schools in the state when it comes to reading. Among those students, only those who scored lower than Level 5 on the FCAT reading exam will need to stay later.
Students in kindergarten through third grade already exceed the required 900 hours of instruction per year, so they will not need to be extended. However, the reaming students require a minimum of 1,080 hours of instruction annually.
All students will start at the time they started school last year, and most of the school will end at the same time as last year. However, those affected by the changes will see their school day extend by approximately 50 minutes.
