The Maryland Blueprint has a lot of big changes described for the upcoming years, from this a program called “FLEX” could be brought to schools, but it may not be as helpful as it seems.
This issue was brought to our attention by a student from Catoctin High School. Andi Bentz is a sophomore at Catoctin High School and he is trying to bring attention to the issues it could create.
Bentz reached out to the board of education for comment but he has yet to receive a response.
The Maryland Blueprint is a plan for Maryland’s future in education. It is described as a “Promise and opportunity for every Maryland child.” It was designed as a plan to increase funding and give students more opportunities.
The Maryland Blueprint currently has 5 pillars.
One big change described in this blueprint is a new FLEX schedule.
The schedule is supposed to give students more of a control over their school hours and/or location.
The schedule seems great in theory and has been implemented in city schools within Frederick County Public Schools, like Frederick High, where students can access school times easier, however in a smaller school like Brunswick High School it would not be as beneficial.
There are many reasons why this schedule would not be beneficial for our community, the main ones are shown below:
Lack Of Public Transportation In Rural Areas
If a FLEX schedule was implemented in areas like Brunswick, Catoctin, or other rural areas, one big issue would be transportation.
Rural areas tend to lack in public transportation which makes the majority of students rely on the bus system, which would be removed if the FLEX schedule was implemented. This FLEX schedule might have the goal of making school more easily accessible, but this aspect of the schedule would completely nullify that goal for Brunswick and other rural communities.
Lack Of After-School Free Time For Students
Another big issue this new schedule would present is a lack of free time after school.
This could not only impact students directly but also indirectly affect said students’ families. Many students are responsible for watching younger siblings after school or picking them up from school. While this schedule might seem better for family dynamics, it’s actually more likely to impede on them
Struggles Of Teachers And Advisors
With the new FLEX schedule, teachers may be expected to run clubs in their free time, like during lunch or planning blocks.
Clubs and societies are a key part of the high school experience and very important for college applications. It already is very difficult for teachers to maintain and support clubs, teachers arguably need more support and consideration for hosting clubs in our community, meanwhile this schedule would do the opposite.
High School Sports To Be Cut
Arguably the most shocking unintended consequence of this new FLEX schedule is after school sports being cut.
High school sports are a huge part of the Brunswick community and cutting them would be a disaster. Communities would lose their ideals of “Friday Night Lights” and student athletes would be devastated. For many sports in high school will be the last time they ever play the sports they love competitively, to rob them of that experience would be hugely detrimental.