At 15 don't most teenagers stay home alone? Don't they stay home the entire summer alone while parents are at work? In fact I know many teenagers that actually watch younger children during the summer. So I don't know if that's a creditable argument.
I have always had an issue with the way many people think of public education first as a babysitting service. School districts need to make decisions based on students educational needs first and then from an economic point of view. Of course when they can schools should try to fit the needs of the community, but their first job is to educate students within their budget.

OK Parents, take your prescription drugs to work with you, because your house will be hosting a party. Drug use will rise, TEEN PREGNANCY will rise, especially in lower income areas, as if it isn't high enough there already.
THEN on top of all that, the NAACP will argue that the White man is keeping the black people down by getting them knocked up at an early age.
Mull this over and have a great day.

Why'd you have to make this racial? This is about ALL our kids, not just the ones with dark skin.

yes please im in middle school that would make my week actually most weeks and won't we have to stay in school longer like from august to july or something like that

It's a bad idea for reasons others have mentioned - most parents rely on school to keep their teens out of trouble. A four day week would amount to one day each week of their child or teen being unsupervised - it would be a disaster for every reason mentioned...

FOUR DAY WEEKS??? ARE THEY SERIOUS?? THIS IS WHY AMERICA IS FAILING IN THE WORLD-LACK OF EDUCATION. FOUR DAY WEEKS MAKE AS MUCH SENSE AS GIVING KIDS THE NEXT DAY OFF AFTER THE SUPER BOWL IN PITTSBURG. SCHOOL MUST COME FIRST WTF S WRONG WITH PEOPLE

Florida law currently prohibits schools or districts from implementing a four-day school week because of language that requires a minimum number of 180 instructional days per year.
Florida Rep. Kurt Kelly, R-Ocala, is sponsoring a four day school week bill in the House. He said it would not force districts to switch to a four-day week.

My daughter attends Pompano Beach High School which already is a four day a week school. The concept works very well there. The hours are 7am to 3pm, M-Th.

Why not look at this idea as a positive. It would give high school students an opportunity to catch up on much needed sleep (high school starts at an ungodly hour), give time to study and do homework and open up hours to work part time. Also, as the article explained, it would give additional class time for teachers to finish science labs and lessons without interruptions.

Not every student will take drugs or get pregnant!!

Why not look at this idea as a positive. It would give high school students an opportunity to catch up on much needed sleep (high school starts at an ungodly hour), give time to study and do homework and open up hours to work part time. Also, as the article explained, it would give additional class time for teachers to finish science labs and lessons without interruptions.

Not every student will take drugs or get pregnant!!

I grew up in an education system that requires 5 and one half day per week of school attendance. High School years are particularly important for students to receive as much as they can learn during their most productive years. U.S. is ranked # 23 (not exact, but close) in the world for its student performances. A cut to four days is not just to save energy bills, staff, etc. It will create a decline in our academic performances as well as a slew of problems that will need to be further addressed. Moreover, a deterioration in our culture that will be manifested throughout multiple stratifications of our society. In the end, the cost of this measure will far outweigh the proposal of four days attendance aims to save.

4 DAYS SCHOOL WEEK? What I find humourous about this whole conversation is that the teachers and school board mbr's are always complaining that there is not enough time during the normal school hours to teach our children how to take the FCAT Exam. How does the State plan to teach them the same info w/1 dayless each week? The plan is to extend school hours and teach the same ole crap on taking the FCAT and then piling on more homework because the teachers dont have enough time during the year to teach.

Look, anyone with or without a degree can stand up in front of a small classroom and regurgitate a syllabus on "How to effectively take the FCAT Exam". What I have heartache with is that we have pinned our teaching/learning standards on a annual exam that monitarily rewards the same person who is regurgitating the same info to a child all year.

What happen to the standard of when Johnny didn't turn in his homework or study for the next say class quiz that he will fail and he held back. We dont need a test to tell us that Johnny is smart and that the teacher did his/her job showing Johnny how to recognize and reply to FCAT prompts and questions. I mean, the teacher is there for a reason and the State should let the teacher do their job.

That is what the school has hired - a teacher and not Zig Zeagler the motivational speech geru.

I grew up in an education system that requires 5 and one half day per week of school attendance. High School years are particularly important for students to receive as much as they can learn during their most productive years. U.S. is ranked # 23 (not exact, but close) in the world for its student performances. A cut to four days is not just to save energy bills, staff, etc. It will create a decline in our academic performances as well as a slew of problems that will need to be further addressed. Moreover, a deterioration in our culture that will be manifested throughout multiple stratifications of our society. In the end, the cost of this measure will far outweigh the proposal of four days attendance aims to save.

I disagree, with the four day school week. Education is becoming to much of a numbers game. Students will use this day as a leisure day rather than studying for academic improvement. Take the weekends for example, how many H.S. students do you see studying without force from parent's on weekends? Very few. Not to add, the majority of parents work on weekdays. Now, students have an extra day with less supervision from adults (society)to reinforce undesirable behaviors. Saving money and decreasing school days will not increase student achievement; it will only produce more dire situations with the homeland achievement gap and global achievement gap. I can go all day with cons on this situation.

Why are you people wasting time and money on these kids. I recently was in florida and it has got to be the worst place on earth. A land were no one calls home. A transient toilet. Buy a cup of coffee and see if they can make change. You folks defending a five day school week are only useing the schools for baby sitting. Wait a minute. I just realized you people need an interpreter to read this. Sorry.

Jason, that last comment was uncalled for. This is an article about education. Let's keep the conversation civil.

"Florida law currently prohibits schools or districts from implementing a four-day school week because of language that requires a minimum number of 180 instructional days per year.
Florida Rep. Kurt Kelly, R-Ocala, is sponsoring a four day school week bill in the House. He said it would not force districts to switch to a four-day week."

Not true. Statute language reads:
(2) MINIMUM TERM.--Operate all schools for a term of at least 180 actual teaching days or the equivalent on an hourly basis as specified by rules of the State Board of Education each school year.

JASON - if you can actually read what you wrote, it may seem as though YOU attended the "piss-ass" Florida school system - check your spelling, dude. To classify an entire state's population as stupid only makes you look like a complete IDIOT!!! I'm sure your parents are proud of you and your lack of...well...human decency!

The line between teaching and parenting has been crossed. Parents, teachers are not babysitters for your kids. Some kids can and do go to school everyday and do nothing. The ones that want to learn will. By the time your kids get to high school, you should know the difference. The amount of hours a day for the student does not make a difference. Given the fact that teachers are already doing double shifts in the mornings and afternoons--all of which have nothing to do with teaching, maybe someone should ask the teachers, how this change would affect their teaching and their ability to educate the students.

Ask any teacher if they know any other teachers who only have one job. A 4 day work week would allow us to recharge and stay healthier. Most of us have a second job whether it's tutoring, real estate, coaching, waiting tables or bartending. Teachers are over-worked and pushed in 20 different directions. We're not just responsible for the curriculum, we also have to serve as truant officers, parent liaisons, psychologists, the gum police, bully prevention, record keepers, test proctors, data entry clerks, dress code monitors and at times, babysitters. There are plenty of kids who will use their time well no matter how many hours they spend in school and there will always be the kids who slack and get nothing done. Maybe kids will be more motivated to get their work done if they know they are required to spend 4 days instead of 5 in school. They can use the extra day to study, complete projects or here's a novel idea..get a part-time job! Pompano High School works on a 4-day week (mon-thu from 7:05-3:15)and they are consistently one of the top performing schools in Broward. Why not try it?